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5B    173 


EKOM  THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE  LATE 
'GEORGE  H.  GUTTRIDGE 


;  BERKELEY 
.IBRARY 
NIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 


/ 


THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT 
1775 


THE  IRISH  PARLIAMENT 

1775 


FROM  AN  OFFICIAL  AND   CONTEMPORARY 
MANUSCRIPT 


EDITED   BY 

WILLIAM    HUNT,   M.A,   D.Lrrr. 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  ROYAL  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 


LONGMANS,    GREEN,    AND    CO, 

39   PATERNOSTER   ROW,    LONDON 
NEW  YORK,    BOMBAY,  AND   CALCUTTA 

DUBLIN:    HODGES,   FIGGIS   &   CO.  LTD. 
1907 

All    rights    reserved 


Hg 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION       .        .        .        .        .                .        .  vii 

THE  MANUSCRIPT  CONCERNING  THE  PARLIAMENT — 

THE  HOUSE  OF  COMMONS i 

PATRONS  AND  THEIR  FOLLOWERS        ....  54 

'STATE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  COMMONS  ON  JULY  2,  1775  '  56 

THE  HOUSE  OF  LORDS 61 

'  STATE  OF  HOUSE  OF  LORDS  ' 76 

NOTE    ON    SALARIES    ATTACHED    TO    CERTAIN    REVENUE 

OFFICES 78 

APPENDIX 79 

LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES  CITED  IN  FOOTNOTES         .                .  92 


INTRODUCTION 

THIS  introduction  will  set  forth  only  so  much  of  the  history 
of  the  Irish  Parliament  as  may  enable  readers  without 
special  knowledge  of  it  to  understand  the  significance  of 
the  document  printed  in  the  text.  No  attempt  will  be 
made  to  exhibit  the  policy  of  the  British  Government 
towards  Ireland  in  the  eighteenth  century,  except  so  far 
as  it  concerned  the  Irish  Parliament  ;  nor  will  ethical  ques- 
tions such  as  justice  and  honesty  be  discussed.  Readers 
will  form  their  own  opinions  from  the  facts  set  before 
them,  and  in  doing  so  it  will  be  well  to  remember  that 
the  standard  generally  accepted  with  respect  to  political 
purity  was  somewhat  different  in  those  days  from  what  it 
is  now.1 

The  Irish  House  of  Commons  in  the  eighteenth  century 
was  composed  of  300  members.  They  were  all  Protestants, 
for  in  1691,  when  the  subjugation  of  the  country  to 
William  III.  was  completed  by  the  capitulation  of  Limerick, 
the  English  Parliament  passed  a  Bill  excluding  Roman 
Catholics  from  seats  in  either  House.  For  the  next  thirty- 
six  years  Catholics  were  able  to  exercise  the  franchise  ; 
but  in  1727,  when  the  party  which  directed  the  policy  of  the 
Castle,  as  the  Irish  Government  was  called,  feared  that 
the  Catholics  would  join  their  opponents,  the  Government 

1  Grateful  acknowledgment  should  be  made  of  my  indebtedness  to  Lecky's 
History  of  England  in  the  Eighteenth  Century  (vol.  iv. ),  of  which  chap.  xvi.  is 
devoted  to  the  history  of  Ireland  from  1760-1778.  I  have,  however,  myself 
consulted  all  the  principal  printed  authorities  on  the  subject  in  hand,  and  have 
worked  at  the  two  volumes  of  Lord  Harcourt's  official  correspondence  while  Lord 
Lieutenant,  transcribed  for  his  chief  secretary,  Sir  John  Blaquiere,  afterwards 
Baron  de  Blaquiere,  and  now  preserved  in  the  Public  Record  Office  as  S.P. 
Ireland,  1772-1776,  vols.  443,  444. 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

procured  the  assent  of  the  Irish  Parliament  to  a  Bill  enacting 
that  no  '  Papist '  should  be  admitted  to  vote  at  the  election 
of  a  member  to  serve  in  Parliament.  By  this  Act  four-fifths 
of  the  people  were  deprived  of  any  representation.1 

Nor  was  the  House  of  Commons  really  representative  even 
of  the  Protestant  minority.  Of  its  300  members  only  sixty- 
six  sat  for  counties,  and  200  were  returned  for  100  small 
boroughs,  some  with  a  mere  handful  of  inhabitants,  such  as  the 
borough  of  Tulsk,  co.  Roscommon,  then  '  a  miserable  hamlet 
consisting  of  a  few  mud  cabins.'  In  1783  it  is  said  that  of 
the  whole  House  only  seventy-two  members  were  returned 
by  free  election  of  the  people,  that  fifty-three  peers  nominated 
124  members  and  influenced  the  election  of  ten  others,  and 
that  fifty-two  commoners  nominated  ninety-one.2  A  private 
report  drawn  up  in  1784  states  that  116  seats  were  at  the 
disposal  of  twenty-five  proprietors,  that  Lord  Shannon  sent 
sixteen  members  to  Parliament,  the  Ponsonby  family  four- 
teen, Lord  Hillsborough  nine,  and  the  Duke  of  Leinster 
seven,  while  the  Castle  itself  held  twelve  seats.3  A  member 
provided  with  a  seat  voted  on  all  important  questions  in 
accordance  with  his  patron's  wishes  ;  he  formed  one  of  the 
great  man's  followers,  and  the  influence  of  the  borough 
owners  was  increased  by  relationship  among  themselves, 
and  by  their  power  of  extorting  from  the  Government 
places  and  other  favours  for  those  who  did  them  good 
service.  Our  document  gives  a  list  of  twenty-four  borough 
owners  with  the  followers  of  each  of  them,  1 10  in  all,4  in  the 
House  of  Commons  in  1775,  and  to  these  must  be  added  the 
members  sitting  for  the  boroughs  held  by  the  Castle. 

The  House  of  Lords  consisted  of  twenty-two  spiritual 
peers,  four  archbishops  and  eighteen  bishops,  and,  in  1775, 
of  142  temporal  peers.5  The  prelates  were  for  the  most  part 
chosen  for  the  support  which  they  had  given,  or  were  pre- 
pared to  give,  to  Government,  or  to  satisfy  the  demands  of 
great  borough  owners  on  behalf  of  some  clerical  relative  or 

1  i  Geo.  II.  c.  9,  Irish  ;  Plowden,  History  of  Ireland,  ii.  91-92. 

2  Gordon,  History  of  Ireland,  ii.  288. 

3  Massey,  History  of  England^  iii.  264-265. 

4  Pages  54-55.  5  Royal  Kalendar,  1775. 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

follower.  Many  of  them  were  to  be  found  more  often  in 
London  or  Bath  than  in  their  own  dioceses.  More  than  half 
of  them  were  Englishmen  :  during  the  eighteenth  century  all 
the  primates,  the  archbishops  of  Armagh,  and  ten  of  the 
eighteen  archbishops  of  Dublin  and  Cashel,  were  English.1 
The  number  of  temporal  peers  had  been  increased  since  the 
middle  of  the  century  by  creations  conferred  on  the  chief 
supporters  of  the  Government,  who  pressed  their  claims  for 
peerages  and,  when  these  were  obtained,  for  promotion  in  the 
peerage,  with  untiring  assiduity.  As  borough  owners  or 
otherwise  individually  influential  the  peers  had  enormous 
political  importance ;  as  members  of  a  legislative  assembly 
they  were  comparatively  unimportant.2  Few  of  them  attended 
Parliament  ;  many  did  not  reside  in  Ireland.  The  Govern- 
ment, as  the  dispenser  of  peerages  and  promotions,  could  in 
almost  any  event  reckon  on  a  majority  in  the  House  of 
Lords. 

From  1494  to  1782  the  Irish  Parliament  was  not  a  free 
and  independent  legislature.  .In  1494  Sir  Edward  Poynings, 
a  deputy  sent  over  by  Henry  VII.,  held  a  Parliament  at 
Drogheda  in  which  several  statutes  were  enacted  for  bringing 
the  country  into  closer  dependence  on  the  Crown.  By  one 
of  these  Acts  it  was  provided  that  no  Parliament  should  be 
held  in  Ireland  until  the  King's  lieutenant  and  his  Council 
had  certified  to  the  King  the  causes  and  considerations  for 
holding  it,  or,  in  other  words,  submitting  to  him  all  the  Acts 
intended  to  be  passed  by  it.3  This  preliminary  restriction 
proved  so  inconvenient  that  it  was  relaxed  in  Mary's  reign, 
and  it  was  enacted  that  proposed  laws  might  be  transmitted 
by  the  Council  during  the  sitting  of  Parliament.4  In  the 
eighteenth  century  a  measure  which  was  passed  by  either 
house  of  Parliament  was  laid  before  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
and  Privy  Council  of  Ireland  as  '  Heads  of  a  Bill/  which 
differed  only  in  the  introductory  words  from  a  proposed 

1  Perry,  History  of  the  Church  of  England,  iii.  150. 

2  Hardy,  Memoirs  of  the  Earl  of  Ckarlemont,  i.  102,  213. 

8  10  Hen.  VII.  c.  4,  Irish  ;  Lord  Mountmorres,  History  of  the  Irish  Parlia- 
ment, i.  48;  Bagwell,  Ireland  under  the  Tudor s,  i.  1 1 2. 

4  3  and  4  P.  and  M.  c.  4,  Irish ;  Lord  Mountmorres,  i.  63. 


x  INTRODUCTION 

enactment.  The  Council  could  either  suppress  it  or  alter  it 
at  its  discretion.  If  approved  by  that  body,  it  was  trans- 
mitted to  England  and  was  laid  before  a  committee  of  the 
Privy  Council,  assisted  by  the  Attorney  and  Solicitor  General, 
which  also  had  the  power  of  altering  it  or  suppressing  it 
altogether.  If  it  was  accepted  in  England,  it  was  sent  back 
with  the  alterations,  if  any,  made  in  it,  to  the  House  of 
Parliament  in  which  it  originated,  and  thence  passed  to  the 
other  House.  Parliament  might  accept  or  reject  a  Bill  thus 
sent  back  to  it,  but  had  no  power  to  alter  the  form  in  which 
it  was  returned  from  England. 

While  its  legislative  power  generally  was  thus  limited,  full 
authority  with  respect  to  money  Bills  was  also  denied  to  it  by 
the  Crown.  Before  a  Parliament  was  held  it  was  usual  for 
the  Irish  Council,  in  pursuance  of  Poynings'  Law,  to  transmit 
a  short  money  Bill  to  England  as  a  reason  for  holding  it. 
This  led  to  violent  disputes,  and  money  Bills  as  returned  from 
England  were  constantly  rejected,  for  it  was  contended  that 
such  a  method  of  procedure  was  contrary  to  the  constitutional 
maxim  that  all  grants  should  originate  with  the  Commons. 
For  the  same  reason  it  was  maintained  that  any  money  Bill 
transmitted  to  England  should  be  returned  unaltered  save  for 
mere  verbal  changes.  This  was  denied  by  the  Privy  Council. 
While,  however,  the  Commons  refused  to  admit  the  dictation 
of  the  Council  with  reference  to  grants,  they,  of  their  own 
authority,  would  readily  vote  supplies  of  the  same  amount 
and  character  as  those  asked  of  them.  The  legislative 
power  of  the  Irish  Parliament  was  also  weakened  by  the 
Parliament  of  Great  Britain,  which  on  various  occasions 
passed  Bills  affecting  Ireland,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Schism 
Act  of  1714,  and,  in  1719  declared,  in  an  Act  'for  better 
securing  the  dependency  of  Ireland  upon  the  Crown  of  Great 
Britain,'  that  it  had  *  full  power  and  authority  to  make  laws 
and  statutes  of  sufficient  force  and  validity  to  bind  the 
people  and  the  kingdom  of  Ireland.'  By  the  same  Act  the 
Irish  House  of  Lords  was  deprived  of  its  appellate  jurisdic- 
tion.1 This  abrogation  of  the  judicial  functions  of  the  Upper 

1  5  Geo.  I.  c.  5  ;  Plowden,  Historical  Review^  i.  249. 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

House  seems  to  have  been  regarded  by  Irishmen  as  a  cause 
of  its  political  unimportance,1 

As  the  expenses  of  the  Government  could  no  longer  be 
defrayed  out  of  the  hereditary  revenues  of  the  Crown,  Parlia- 
ment, which  in  earlier  days  had  been  summoned  irregularly 
and  sometimes  at  long  intervals,  was  in  the  eighteenth 
century  summoned  every  other  year.  The  Lord-Lieutenant's 
office  was  biennial  ;  he  went  to  Ireland  before  the  opening  of 
Parliament,  and  until  1767  usually  resided  there  only  for  six 
months.  During  his  absence  the  Government  was  adminis- 
tered by  three  lords  justices,  one  of  them  generally  an 
archbishop,  and  since  1726  usually  the  primate,  the  other 
two  laymen  of  high  position,  such  as  the  Lord  Chancellor  or 
the  Speaker.  Twice  during  the  early  years  of  the  reign  of 
George  III.  a  Lord-Lieutenant  resigned  office  without  having 
landed  in  Ireland  ;  neither  Lord  Wey mouth  nor  the  Earl  of 
Bristol — the  one  appointed  in  1765,  the  other  in  1766 — set 
foot  in  the  kingdom,  though  both  accepted  the  3,ooo/.  granted 
for  a  Lord-Lieutenant's  equipage  in  addition  to  the  i6,ooo/., 
the  yearly  salary  of  the  office. 

A  Lord-Lieutenant  who  was  in  Ireland  only  for  six 
months  in  two  years  could  not  himself  secure  the  success 
of  Government  measures.  This  was  done  for  him  by  three 
or  four  great  men  who  had  *  such  influence  in  the  Commons 
that  their  coalition  commanded  a  majority  on  any  question/ 
and  who  bargained  to  carry  on  the  King's  business  in 
Parliament.  These  '  undertakers,'  as  they  were  called,  were 
allowed  to  manage  the  country  and  to  dispense  the  patronage 
of  the  Crown,  which  they  used  to  keep  their  followers 
faithful  and  in  a  state  of  dependence.2  This  system  presents 
an  exaggerated  resemblance  to  that  by  which  the  Whig 
magnates  in  England  retained  their  hold  upon  the  Govern- 
ment before  they  were  attacked  by  George  III.  It  led  to 
jobbery,  corruption,  and  extravagant  expenditure.  The 
revenue  was  burdened  with  unmerited  pensions  and  salaries 
attached  to  sinecure  or  useless  places,  with  the  cost  of 

1  Hardy,  Memoirs  of  Charlemont,  i.  102;  Baratariana,  p.  301. 
8  Plowden,  History,  ii.   152-153  ;  Charlemont  Manuscripts ,  i.  22-23,  H4> 
Hist.  MSS.  Comm.  Report  xii.  App.  x. 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

unnecessary  works,  with  bribes  of  various  kinds  to  members 
of  Parliament.1  The  authority  of  the  undertakers  over  the 
House  of  Commons  was  supported  by  the  members'  inde- 
pendence of  their  constituents. 

Before  1768  the  life  of  an  Irish  Parliament,  unless  cut 
short  by  dissolution,  only  expired  with  the  demise  of  the 
Crown  ;  one  Parliament  lasted  all  through  the  reign  of 
George  I.,  the  next  during  the  thirty-three  years  of  the 
reign  of  George  II.  With  no  fear  of  an  election  before 
them,  members  were  apt  to  regard  their  seats  as  affording 
opportunity  for  profit,  as  enabling  them  to  obtain  a  share  of 
the  offices  and  other  favours  which  the  undertakers  distributed 
in  order  to  keep  their  party  together,  and  to  add  to  its 
number.  Yet,  in  spite  of  the  evils  of  this  system,  it  had  some 
compensating  advantages.  The  ruling  oligarchy  was  Irish  ; 
the  '  Irish  interest'  was  in  the  ascendant ;  Ireland  was  in  no 
small  degree  preserved  from  becoming  the  prey  of  alien 
officials  and  adventurers,  and  the  undertakers  conferred  some 
substantial  benefits  upon  her  by  carrying  out  public  works, 
a  fruitful  source  of  jobbery,  and  by  encouraging  her  trade, 
which  was  cramped  by  restrictions.  Political  corruption  in 
Ireland  was  perhaps  not  greater  than  in  England  at  the  same 
period,  and  we  must  remember  that  many  a  transaction 
which  seems  to  us  utterly  corrupt  was  then  held  to  be  a 
natural  and  even  laudable  exercise  of  patronage.  '  The  evil,' 
and  the  most  patriotic  Irishmen  so  regarded  it,  *  was  not 
capital  as  it  stood,  and  at  worst  it  was  domestic/  and  as  such 
it  would  probably  have  decreased,  for  the  number  of  wealthy 
and  educated  men  was  growing  larger,  and  a  narrow 
oligarchy  would  have  found  it  increasingly  difficult  to  re- 
tain exclusive  power  by  corrupt  means.2  It  ceased  to  be 
domestic ;  and  the  corruption  of  political  life  in  Ireland 
attained  its  full  growth  when  stimulated  by  the  Crown  through 
the  agency  of  the  Castle.3 

While  the  legislative  power  of  Parliament  was  restricted 
by  the  King's  Privy  Council  and  the  Privy  Council  of  the 
Viceroy,  government  by  undertakers  left  the  Crown  without 

1  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  144.  2  Baratariana,  pp.  131-132. 

3  Lecky,  History*  iv.  355-3S6- 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

any  further  direct  influence  over  the  affairs  of  the  country. 
The  distribution  of  its  patronage  for  the  most  part  only 
increased  the  power  of  a  small  junto  which  overshadowed 
the  authority  and  not  infrequently  overrode  the  wishes  of 
the  King's  representatives.  George  III.,  who  was  determined 
to  destroy  the  dominance  of  the  Whig  oligarchy,  and  rule 
as  well  as  reign  in  England,  desired  to  follow  a  like  line  of 
policy  in  Ireland,  and  to  bring  government  by  undertakers  to 
an  end  by  requiring  the  Lord-Lieutenant  to  reside  in  Ireland. 
The  breaking  up  of  a  political  confederacy  was  thoroughly 
in  accordance  with  the  sentiments  of  the  Earl  of  Chatham, 
and  as  soon  as  he  took  office  in  1766,  the  Cabinet  adopted  a 
resolution  which  was  carried  out  by  the  appointment  of 
Bristol  as  Lord- Lieutenant  with  orders  to  reside  in  Ireland 
as  long  as  he  held  that  office.1 

The  change,  however,  was  not  effected  until  1767,  when 
the  Marquis  Townshend,  the  brother  of  Charles  Townshend, 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  was  appointed  to  the  lieu- 
tenancy. Townshend,  a  keen  soldier  and  an  efficient  general, 
had  done  good  service  in  Canada,  though  he  excited  derision 
by  his  vaingloriousness  and  indignation  by  arrogating  to 
himself  more  than  his  share  in  Wolfe's  victory.  He  was  able 
and  courageous,  and  was  frank  and  jovial  in  manner,  but  his 
genius  was  erratic  ;  he  was  utterly  deficient  in  tact  and  judg- 
ment, and  was  prone  to  dissipation.  He  was  sent  over  to 
break  the  power  of  the  undertakers,  and  form  a  party  under 
the  direct  control  of  the  Crown,  and  to  obtain  the  consent  of  J 
Parliament  to  an  augmentation  of  the  army.  George  rightly 
judged  that  the  military  forces  of  the  Crown  were  too  small ; 
and  as  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  obtain  a  vote  for  the 
increase  of  the  army  maintained  by  Great  Britain,  he  desired 
to  raise  the  number  of  men  on  the  Irish  establishment,  the 
British  garrison  quartered  in  and  maintained  by  Ireland,  from 
12,000  to  15,325,  and  in  order  to  obtain  this  augmentation 
the  Government  was  prepared  to  make  certain  concessions  to 
the  patriotic  party  in  Ireland. 

In  the  Irish  Parliament  there  was  no  such  sharp  division 
into   two   camps,   no   such   constant   cleavage  between    the 

1  Chatham  Correspondence,  iii.  51. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

supporters  of  the  Government  and  an  organised  opposition 
as  existed  in  England.  This  was  partly  due  to  the  promi- 
nence in  its  proceedings  of  domestic  questions  consequent  on 
its  dependent  position,  and  partly  to  the  decisive  influence 
exercised  by  political  connection  and  the  personal  interests 
of  the  great  borough  owners.  Yet  from  a  few  years  before 
Townshend's  arrival  a  party,  which  was  not  indeed  very 
coherent,  had  been  seeking  to  improve  the  political  condition 
of  the  kingdom.  Its  members  chafed  under  the  limitations 
imposed  on  their  Parliament,  and  the  overwhelming  power 
exercised  by  the  oligarchy  in  alliance  with  the  Castle.  Few 
in  number,  they  had  little  success  in  Parliament,  where  in 
1767  they  were  vigorously  led  by  the  veteran  patriot,  Doctor 
Charles  Lucas,  and  Henry  Flood,  a  skilful  debater  and  a 
master  of  parliamentary  argument,  which  at  that  time  seems 
to  have  been  more  practised  and  more  highly  esteemed  in 
the  Irish  Parliament  than  oratorical  display.1  Outside  Par- 
liament, however,  they  aroused  a  strong  public  feeling  in 
favour  of  the  objects  for  which  they  contended.2  For  the 
present  they  chiefly  aimed  at  limiting  the  duration  of  Parlia- 
ment to  seven  years,  as  in  England,  where  that  limit  had  been 
fixed  by  the  Septennial  Act  of  1716  ;  at  obtaining  the 
appointment  of  judges  during  good  behaviour  instead  of  at 
pleasure,  and  at  the  restriction  of  the  pension  list. 

With  pensions  our  document  is  largely  concerned. 
Pensions  for  life  or  a  term  of  years  could  not  be  granted  by 
the  Crown  with  any  show  of  legality  except  out  of  its 
hereditary  revenues,  consisting  chiefly  of  rents,  the  excise, 
tonnage  and  poundage,  and  hearth-money,  a  tax  of  two 
shillings  on  each  hearth  granted  in  1662  in  lieu  of  the 
profits  from  the  Court  of  Wards,3  and  the  larger  part  of  this 
revenue  was  appropriated  to  specific  purposes.  Nevertheless 
pensions  were  granted  on  the  general  establishment,  and 
that  not  merely  for  political  services,  but  to  persons  who  had 
little  or  no  connection  with  Ireland,  for  Ireland  could  be 

1  Lecky,  Leaders  of  Public  Opinion  in  Ireland,  p.  68 ;  W.  Flood,  Memoirs 
of  H.  Flood,  p.  63  ;  Baratariana,  p.  29. 

2  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  25;  Plowden,  Historical  Review,  i.  391. 
8  Carte,  Life  of  Ormond,  iv.  98-100. 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

burdened  with  greater  impunity  than  Great  Britain.  In  1757, 
when  George  II.  proposed  to  saddle  Ireland  with  a  pension 
of  6,ooo/.  a  year  to  his  daughter  Mary,  the  Landgravine  of 
Hesse,  and  her  children,  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  the  Lord- 
Lieutenant,  wrote  that  the  pension  list,  which  in  1727 
amounted  to  37,994/.  ios.,  had  risen  to  55,2537.  i$s.1 
During  the  first  three  years  of  George  III.  additions  had 
been  made  amounting  to  I7,ooo/.  a  year,  including  i,ooo/.  a 
year  for  thirty-one  years  to  *  George  Charles,  Esquire/  a 
name  which  hid  the  identity  of  Count  de  Viri,  the  Sardinian 
ambassador,  and  one  of  Lord  Butes's  agents.  The  list  then 
amounted  to  about  72,ooo/.,  while  the  whole  of  the  here- 
ditary revenue  which  was  unappropriated  to  specific  purposes 
did  not  exceed  7,ooo/.-  The  King  authorised  the  Earl  of 
Northumberland  to  promise  that  no  more  pensions  should  be 
granted  for  lives  or  years  '  except  on  extraordinary  occa- 
sions.' Nevertheless  the  list  had  reached  86,74 1/,  when 
Townshend  took  office,  and,  in  spite  of  his  promise,  George 
in  1770  granted  Jeremiah  Dyson,  an  English  politician  and 
one  of  the  party  called  'the  King's  friends/  i,ooo/.  a  year  on 
the  Irish  establishment  for  the  lives  of  himself,  his  three 
sons,  and  the  survivor  of  them.  This  pension  caused  great 
discontent,  and  was  vehemently  attacked  in  Parliament ;  but 
in  1775  a  proposal  not  to  provide  for  it  was  negatived  by 
94  to  7<D.3 

Some  other  pensions  may  be  noticed  here  as  illustrating 
the  way  in  which  the  Crown  used  the  revenues  of  Ireland 
both  before,  and  to  an  even  greater  extent  during  the  period 
when  Parliament  was  managed  by  undertakers,  to  endow 
persons  who  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  had  much,  if  any- 
thing, to  do  with  the  country  except  live  upon  her.4  The 
Dowager  Viscountess  Howe  had  i,25o/.  a  year,  of  which 

1  Correspondence  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  ii.  273. 

•  Plowden,    Historical   Review,    i.    356-361  ;    H.    Walpole,    Memoirs    of 
George  ///.  i.  268. 

3  Harcourt  to  North,  Nov.  20,  1773  ;  Correspondence  of  George  III.  with  Lord 
North,  i.    140,    199;    Baratariana,  pp.   228,   240;    Commons'  Journals,  xvii. 
179,  182. 

4  These  pensions  will  be  found  in  a  list  presented  to  Parliament  in  1773, 
Commons'  Journals,  xvi.  169-175. 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

75<D/.  had  been  granted  for  life  in  1714,  because  George  I. 
believed  himself  to  be  her  father  by  his  mistress,  Mme. 
Kielmansegge,  Countess  of  Darlington,  and  the  remaining 
5OO/.  at  pleasure  in  1753,  after  she  had  lost  her  husband,  who 
had  an  Irish  peerage.  When  in  1746  Anne,  daughter  of  Sir 
Thomas  Palmer  of  Kent,  married  Edward  Finch,  afterwards 
Finch-Hatton,  a  younger  son  of  the  Earl  of  Winchilsea,  and 
an  officer  of  the  royal  household,  she  had  8oo/.  a  year  settled 
on  her  and  her  husband  from  the  Irish  revenues,  which  was 
increased  to  i,ooo/.  five  years  later.  Augustus  Schutz,  the 
Master  of  the  Robes  to  George  II.,  had  i,2oo/.  granted  him  in 
1749  for  thirty-one  years.  This  glorified  valet,  the  son  of 
a  German  baron,  was  celebrated  by  Lord  Hervey  in  the 
lines — 

There's  another  court  booby,  at  once  hot  and  dull, 
Your  pious  pimp  Schutz,  a  mean  Hanover  tool. 

Horace  Walpole  tells  a  story  which  represents  him  as  not 
knowing  where  Florence  was,  but  that  probably  is  a  scandal ; 
for,  as  he  was  liked  by  the  Queen,  he  could  scarcely  have 
been  quite  such  a  fool  as  it  was  the  fashion  to  make  him  out1 
Prince  Ferdinand  of  Brunswick  had  2,ooo/.  a  year  for  life 
from  1758,  and  in  1767  2,000!.  more  was  added  during  plea- 
sure :  he  had  done  good  service  as  a  general,  and  Ireland 
had  the  burden  of  rewarding  him.  So,  too,  no  one  would 
grudge  Hawke  the  2,ooo/.  a  year  granted  to  him  and  his  two 
sons  for  their  lives  in  1760,  though  Ireland  was  scarcely  more 
gratified  than  England  by  his  victory  over  Conflans.  Nor 
was  Ireland  specially  interested  in  Mme.  Walmoden,  Countess 
of  Yarmouth,  the  mistress  of  George  II.,  yet  in  1760  the 
Irish  pension  list  was  augmented  by  4,ooo/.  granted  to  her 
and  her  representatives  for  thirty-one  years.  George  III. 
looked  to  Ireland  for  a  provision  for  his  relatives.  Besides 
the  Landgravine  of  Hesse,  the  Princess  Augusta  had  5,ooo/. 
for  life,  and  his  brothers,  the  Dukes  of  Cumberland  and 
Gloucester,  3,ooo/.  each  during  pleasure.  The  Irish  oligarchy 
took  care  of  themselves  and  their  followers,  and  when  Henry 

1  Hervey,  Memoirs  of  George  //.,  ii.   75,  327,  iii.  7  ;  H.  Walpole,  Letters, 
i.  297. 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

Boyle  came  into  the  good  graces  of  the  Castle  in  1756,  he 
received  2,ooo/.  for  thirty-one  years  with  the  title  of  Earl  of 
Shannon.  But  as  a  rule  their  claims  on  the  pension  list  were 
small ;  they  distributed  the  public  money  chiefly  through 
jobbery  and  salaries  annexed  to  places,  many  with  no  duties 
or  duties  performed  by  subordinates,  for  the  devolution  of 
functions  was  largely  practised. 

Townshend  arrived  in  Ireland  in  October  1767.  The 
oligarchical  leaders,  alarmed  by  some  indiscreet  words  of  his 
predecessor  Bristol,  who  did  not  come  over,  regarded  him 
with  suspicion,  dreading  an  attack  upon  their  power,  and  he 
sought  support  among  men  of  a  lower  class  whose  good  will  ^ 
he  gained  by  his  unceremonious  manners  and  festive  habits.1 
Shannon,  Hely  Hutchinson,  the  Prime  Serjeant,  and  John 
Ponsonby,  the  Speaker,  made  him  the  usual  offer  :  they  would 
carry  the  King's  business,  including  the  augmentation  of  the 
army,  through  Parliament,  if  they  might  dispense  patronage 
among  their  followers  and  have  certain  good  things  for  them- 
selves, as  in  Hutchinson's  case,  among  other  items,  a  place  or 
pension  of  5OO/.  a  year  for  the  joint  lives  of  himself  and  his 
two  young  sons.  Townshend  was  forbidden  by  the  British 
Government  to  make  any  such  bargain,  and  the  would-be 
undertakers  went  into  opposition.2  On  behalf  of  the  Govern- 
ment, Townshend  had  promised  the  independence  of  the 
judges,  but  the  Bill  was  returned  from  England  with  an 
alteration.  The  British  Government  would  not  allow  any 
independent  function  to  the  Irish  Parliament  ;  and  the  royal 
policy  of  establishing  direct  control  over  the  affairs  of  Ireland 
implied  the  maintenance  of  the  Viceroy's  Privy  Council,  as  a 
kind  of  fourth  estate  predominant  over  the  two  legislative 
Houses.3  Accordingly  the  Bill,  as  returned,  provided  that  a 
representation  from  Parliament  for  the  removal  of  a  judge 
should  be  certified  by  the  Lord-Lieutenant  and  his  Council. 
Indignant  at  this  alteration,  for  which  Townshend  was 
unfairly  blamed,  the  Commons  unanimously  rejected  the 
Bill. 

1  Harcourt  Papers,  x.  234. 

2  Lord  Fitzmaurice,  Life  of  Shelburne,  ii.  101-4. 

3  Baratariana,  pp.  99,  338. 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

A  measure  which  would  terminate  their  existence  such  as 
a  Septennial  Bill  was  not  attractive  to  the  Commons,  and  still 
less  to  the  undertakers,  who  saw  that  it  threatened  their 
power.  Yet  the  demand  outside  Parliament  was  so  loud  that 
the  Shannon  and  Ponsonby  party  joined  the  patriots  in 
adopting  it,  partly  because  they  wished  to  oppose  the  Govern- 
ment, which  was  averse  from  any  change  of  a  kind  to 
strengthen  the  position  of  Parliament,  partly  to  gain  credit 
with  the  nation,  and  partly  to  satisfy  their  new  allies.1  They 
and  their  followers  trusted  that  the  heads  of  the  Bill  would 
not  be  returned  from  England,  and  that  they  might  thus  be 
able  to  lay  the  blame  of  its  rejection  on  the  Cabinet.  Thrice 
already  had  the  Privy  Council  refused  to  return  a  Septennial 
Bill,  but  it  would  play  their  game  no  longer,  and  in  1768,  to 
their  astonishment  and  dismay,2  the  Bill  was  returned  only 
altered  in  that  eight  instead  of  seven  years  was  made  the 
limit,  so  as  to  prevent  a  general  election  being  held  in  both 
countries  at  the  same  time.  The  Octennial  Bill  was  passed 
by  the  Commons  generally  with  ill- dissembled  reluctance,  by 
the  Lords  with  delight  as  it  brought  increased  opportunities 
for  profit  and  patronage.  It  was  hailed  by  the  Protestant 
part  of  the  nation  with  public  rejoicing,  and  Townshend's 
popularity  was  for  the  moment  unbounded.  In  Parliament, 
however,  he  could  only  reckon  on  the  support  of  a  few  highly 
placed  officials  and  the  county  members,  '  the  country  gentle- 
men.' It  was  therefore  a  bad  time  to  propose  the  augmenta- 
tion scheme,  for  the  Octennial  Act  made  the  Parliament 
moribund,  and  members  would  be  unwilling  to  vote  for  an 
increase  in  expenditure  on  the  eve  of  seeking  re-election. 
Townshend  asked  the  Government  to  consent  to  a  delay,  but 
discontent  was  growing  in  the  American  Colonies,  and  Lord 
Shelburne,  then  Secretary  of  State,  insisted  that  the  proposal 
should  be  made  at  once.  The  augmentation  was  refused  by 
1 08  to  104,  the  Shannon  and  Ponsonby  party  voting  with 
the  patriots  :  the  narrowness  of  the  majority  proved  that  the 
influence  of  the  Crown  was  growing ;  it  was  '  the  foundation 
of  future  victory.' 3 

Harcourt  Papers,  x.  236.  -  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  26  -7. 

Life  of  Shelburne,  ii.  no- 1 6  ;  Harcourt  Papers,  x.  234. 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

The  new  Parliament  did  not  meet  until  October  17,  1769, 
and  Townshend  employed  the  interval  of  sixteen  months  in 
creating  what  his  opponents  called  a  '  new  English  interest.' 
Four  of  his  chief  supporters  received  peerages,  other  honours 
were  distributed,  and  *  not  a  commission  in  the  revenue  worth 
above  4O/.  could  be  disposed  of  without  his  approbation.' l 
Yet,  ready  as  Irishmen  were  to  sell  their  voices  in  Parliament, 
there  were  questions,  all  matters  touching  the  rights  of  their 
Parliament,  about  which  at  that  time  bargaining  was  useless. 
The  Privy  Council  sent  over  a  money  Bill  which  had  not 
originated  in  Parliament,  but  had  been  transmitted  by  the 
Irish  Council,  pursuant  to  the  English  interpretation  of  Poyn- 
ings'  Law,  '  as  a  cause  and  consideration '  for  holding  the 
Parliament.  It  was  rejected  by  the  Commons  'because  it 
did  not  take  its  rise  in  that  House.'  Townshend  dissembled 
his  anger  until  he  had  obtained  his  supplies  and  the  passing 
of  the  Augmentation  Bill,  which  was  rendered  less  obnoxious 
by  a  proviso,  founded  on  an  offer  from  the  Crown,  that  not 
less  than  12,000  men  should  always  be  kept  in  Ireland,  unless 
the  Irish  Parliament  decided  otherwise.  Then  he  quarrelled 
violently  with  the  Parliament  on  the  question  of  the  money 
Bill,  prorogued  it  on  December  26,  and  did  not  suffer  it  to 
meet  again  for  fourteen  months. 

During  this  long  recess  he  employed  every  means  in 
his  power  to  secure  a  majority.  Of  his  chief  opponents, 
Lords  Shannon  and  Lanesborough  were  deprived  of  lucrative 
offices,  a  crowd  of  smaller  placemen  and  pensioners  met  the 
same  fate,  and  a  large  number  of  Privy  Councillors  were  turned 
out  of  the  Council.  His  supporters  were  rewarded  ;  more 
peerages  were  created  ;  Hely  Hutchinson,  the  Prime  Serjeant, 
who  had  deserted  the  Opposition,  received  an  additional 
salary,  and  was  allowed  to  exchange  it  for  the  sinecure  office 
of  alnager  with  i,ooo/.  a  year2;  and  pensions  and  places 
were  lavishly  bestowed.  Violent  diatribes  were  published 
against  the  Lord -Lieutenant,  his  methods,  and  the  men  he 
bought  over.  They  are  collected  in  a  volume  of  anonymous 
satirical  pieces  on  his  administration,  entitled  *  Baratariana '  ; 
they  are  mostly  the  work  of  Grattan,  who  did  not  enter 

1  Plowden,  Historical  Review,  i.  389.  *  Baratariana,  pp.  33-34. 

a  2 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

Parliament  until  the  end  of  1775,  Hercules  (afterwards  Sir 
Hercules)  Langrishe,  and  Henry  Flood,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  some  verses,  are  for  the  most  part  rather  dreary 
reading,  as  is  often  the  case  with  bygone  political  satire. 
A  *  Never,'  writes  the  indignant  satirist,  'did  the  mysteries  of 
corruption  make  such  a  progress  as  at  this  period  ' ;  but 
what  weighed  most  with  him  was  that  pensions  and  places 
were  taken  from  the  party  of  opposition  and  given  or  sold  to 
those  '  who  had  the  resolution  to  sacrifice  their  country.' 1 

Townshend's  work    was   successful.      When    Parliament 
again  met,  on  February  26,  1771,  an  address  thanking  the 
King  for  continuing  him  in  office  was  carried  by  132  to  107. 
Disheartened   at  finding  his  friends  dropping  off,  Ponsonby 
resigned  the  Speakership,  which  had  a  salary  of  4,ooo/.,  and 
gained  popularity  by  alleging  as  his  reason  that  he  would 
not  carry  up  this  address.2     Government  influence  procured 
the  election  of  Edmond  Sexton  Pery 3  as  his  successor.    Pery 
had  hitherto  acted  with  the  Opposition,  and  he  was  described 
by  his  former  allies  as  *  a  patriot  turned  courtier,'  which,  as 
his  subsequent  conduct  showed,   was   unjust.      Townshend 
had  no  more  serious  trouble  with  Parliament  ;  he  completed 
the  disintegration  and  rout  of  the   Opposition  by  the  same 
means  that  he  had  already  employed  against  it,  and  soon 
had  a  settled  majority  of  one-third  of  the  House.     He  is  said 
to  have  recommended  additional  pensions  of  25,ooo/.,  and  to 
have  actually  added  23,ooo/.  to  the  list.4     It  would,  perhaps, 
be  impossible  to  ascertain   the   amount   which   his   recom- 
mendations added  after   as  well    as   before   his   recall,   but 
during  his   lieutenancy   a   large   number   of   civil   pensions 
determined,  including  the  Hesse  pension  of  5,ooo/.,  in  all  to 
the   amount   of    27,1677.    15^.  ;    additional    pensions    were, 
however,  granted  of  I9,686/.   5^.,  so  that  the  saving  to  the 
country  was  only  7,49 1/.   ios.,  and  the  amount  of  pensions 
on   the   civil    establishment    on    November    30,    1772,   was 
79,2497.  17  s.  6d.5  Townshend  also  invented  fresh  opportunities 

1  Baratariana,  p.  185. 

-  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  39-40  ;  Harcourt  Papers,  x.  238. 

3  Page  42.  4  H.  Wai  pole,  Memoirs  of  George  III.,  iv.  231-2. 

5  Commons'  Journals,  xvi.  166-7. 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

for  patronage  by  creating  a  new  revenue  board  for  the  Ex- 
cise, which  he  put  under  a  separate  administration  from  the 
Customs.  This  may  have  been  the  means  of  increasing 
the  revenue  ;  it  certainly  increased  the  expense  of  collecting 
it,  and  was  an  unpopular  measure.  Public  hatred  of  him 
waxed  strong  :  he  defied  it,  exasperated  his  opponents  by 
exercising  his  skill  in  caricature  against  them,  and  lived  in 
open  profligacy  and  debauchery.  His  political  success  was 
marred  by  the  hatred  and  contempt  that  his  conduct  excited, 
and  he  was  recalled  in  1/72. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Lord  Harcourt,  who  had  been 
ambassador  to  the  Court  of  Versailles  since  1768.  Harcourt, 
though  not  exempt  from  the  prevailing  habit  of  excessive 
drinking,  was  a  man  of  high  character  ;  he  had  a  fair  amount 
of  ability  and  was  courteous  in  manner,  but  he  was  shy  and 
retiring.  In  his  political  duties  he  relied  much  on  his  Chief 
Secretary,  Colonel  John  Blaquiere,  who  had  been  his  secre- 
tary of  legation  in  France.  Blaquiere  was  trustworthy  and 
adroit,  well  skilled  in  the  management  of  men,  convivial  in  his 
tastes,  and  a  good  public  speaker.  Harcourt  knew  his  value 
and  generously  acknowledged  it  in  his  correspondence  with 
Lord  North,  then  head  of  the  Government,  and  Lord 
Rochford,  Blaquiere's  personal  friend,  the  Secretary  of  State 
to  whose  department  Irish  affairs  belonged ;  indeed  the 
relations  between  the  Lord-Lieutenant  and  his  Chief  Secre- 
tary speak  well  for  the  characters  of  both.1  The  general 
disgust  at  Townshend's  doings  secured  his  successor  a 
special  welcome.  Harcourt  arrived  at  Dublin  on  Novem- 
ber 30,  and  received  marked  civility  from  the  Duke  of 
Leinster,  Lords  Kildare  and  Shannon,  and  Flood.2  The 
political  sky  was  serene.  Soon  after  his  arrival  Blaquiere 
won  the  good  opinion  of  Irishmen  by  his  intrepid  conduct 
in  a  duel  with  Beauchamp  Bagenall.  The  cause  of  their 

1  Harcourt  to  North,  November  9,  1773,  and  August  4,  1774;  Rochford  to 
Harcourt,  October  22,  1773,     Lord  Charlemont  gives  a  less  pleasant  character  of 
Blaquiere  (Manuscripts,  i.  35),  but  allowance  must  be  made  for  political  feeling. 
That  Blaquiere  was,  if  he  was,  '  a  man  of  low  birth  and  no  property ' — his  father 
was  a  merchant  of  sorts — did  not  prevent  the  ex-colonel  of  dragoons  from  being 
a  gentleman  and  a  good  fellow. 

2  Harcourt  to  Rochford,  December  8,  1772. 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

quarrel  was  that  Blaquiere,  while  charg6  d'affaires  at  Paris, 
had  refused  to  present  Bagenall  at  the  French  Court  because 
he  had  not  been  presented  in  England.1 

Harcourt's  instructions  from  the  Government  were  that 
he  should  check  applications  for  peerages  and  pensions,  and 
that  he  should  seek  to  lighten  the  charges  on  the  hereditary 
revenue,  and  specially  the  bounty  on  the  inland  carriage  of 
corn,  granted  under  Bedford  in  1758,  a  year  of  scarcity,  in 
order  to  relieve  the  distress  in  Dublin  and  to  encourage 
agriculture.  The  bounty  in  1773  amounted  to  44,5087. 2  He 
soon  found  that  it  was  not  easy  to  check  requests.  Shannon 
promised  his  support,  and  made  half  a  dozen  requests  on 
behalf  of  his  followers  that  St.  Leger 3  might  be  created 
Baron  Doneraile  ;  that  Denham  Jephson  4  might  have  a  pen- 
sion of  6oo/. ;  that  Nicholas  Lysaght,5  ' a  good  officer/  might 
be  appointed  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Cork  and  promoted 
brevet  major ;  that  James  Dennis,6  the  King's  Second  Ser- 
jeant, might  be  made  Prime  Serjeant,  or  Attorney-  or 
Solicitor  -  General  whichever  place  fell  vacant  first ;  that 
Richard  Townsend 7  might  succeed  to  a  Chief  Commissioner's 
place ;  and  that  the  Dean  of  Cork  might  have  the  Bishopric 
of  Cork  when  the  present  bishop  died.  Harcourt  held  out 
hopes  that  his  requests  would  be  granted.8 

Parliament  did  not  meet  again  until  October  12,  1773,  so 
Harcourt  had  time  to  make  his  plans.  One  threatened  diffi- 
culty, a  revival  of  a  scheme  for  a  port  at  Lough  Swilly,  seems 
to  have  been  surmounted  ;  it  had  been  pressed  in  Towns- 
hend's  time,  and  strongly  opposed  by  the  Provost  of  Trinity 
College,  Dublin,  and  the  Corporation  of  London,  as  against 
their  interests,  and  by  the  Commissioners  of  Customs.9 
Blaquiere  settled  with  North  that  the  revenue  boards  divided 
by  Townshend  should  be  reunited,  and  this  measure  gave 
great  satisfaction  to  Parliament  and  the  public  generally ;  it 

1  Page    2;    Charlemont  Manuscripts,    i.     314;    Annual  Register   (1773), 
xvi.  77. 

2  Rochford   to   Harcourt,    October   26,    1772  ;    Harcourt  Papers ',  x.   250  ; 
Commons'  Journals,  xvi.  466. 

3  Page  46.  4  Page  29.  5  Page  33.  6  Page  17. 
7  Page  51.                      8  Harcourt  to  North,  December  20,  1772. 

9  Page  41  ;  North  to  Harcourt,  April  II,  1773. 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

involved,  however,  pensions  of  3,6oo/.  to  those  who  lost  their 
offices.1  Another  saving  was  made  in  respect  of  '  private 
jobs,'  a  source  of  large  expenditure  during  the  undertakers' 
rule  ;  the  amount  spent  on  them  had  been  reduced  by  Towns- 
hend  from  H9,ooo/.  to  67,ooo/.,  and  was  now  further  reduced 
to  34,ooo/.2  Under  the  new  system  jobbery  was  as  far  as 
possible  to  be  the  prerogative  of  the  Crown. 

These  economies,  however,  were  insufficient  for  the  needs 
of  the  kingdom.  *  Our  distresses,'  Harcourt  wrote,  '  have 
increased  to  such  a  degree  that  almost  an  entire  stop  is  put 
to  all  payments  whatever,  except  for  the  subsistence  of  the 
army,  and  at  times  it  has  been  difficult  to  find  money  even 
for  this  purpose.  I  have  reason  to  think  that  the  arrears 
upon  the  establishment  by  next  Christmas  will  not  fall  short 
of  3OO,ooo/.'  Nevertheless,  the  King  was  proposing  the 
grant  of  a  pension  of  3,ooo/.  a  year  from  Ireland  to  his  sister, 
Caroline  Matilda,  the  divorced  wife  of  Christian  VII.  of 
Denmark.  Harcourt  feared  that  the  demand  would  indis- 
pose Parliament  to  take  decided  steps  towards  putting  the 
revenue  on  a  satisfactory  footing,  and  begged  for  delay.3  The 
ex-Queen  got  her  pension  in  1774,  but  Ireland  was  soon 
relieved  from  the  burden  of  maintaining  her,  for  she  died  the 
next  year.  New  taxation  was  imperative,  and  Blaquiere4 
proposed  a  tax  on  the  rents  of  absentee  landlords,  which  are 
said  to  have  amounted  to  732,ooo/.  Absenteeism  was  one 
of  the  chief  curses  of  Ireland  ;  there  was  no  land  tax  in  that 
country,  and  the  absentee  landlord  spent  in  other  lands  the 
income  he  derived  from  Ireland  without  contributing  to  the 
support  of  the  Government  which  protected  his  property. 
The  proposed  tax  was  equitable,  and  was  extremely  popular 
in  Ireland. 

In  England,  however,  the  owners  of  land  in  Ireland  were 

1  Pages  19,  52,  88,  Harcourt  to  North,  October  3  and  November  9,  1773  ; 
Commons'  Journals,  xvi.  344. 

2  Harcourt  to   North,    November    1773;    Harcourt   Papers,   x.    119;    Cor- 
respondence of  George  III.  with  Lord  North,  i.  157. 

3  Harcourt  to  North,  April  24,  1773. 

4  That  the  proposal  was  specially  Blaquiere's,  though  Harcourt  was  respon- 
sible for  it  and  adopted  it,  appears  from  a  letter  of  the  King's,  Correspondence 
of  George  III.  with  Lord  North,  i.  156. 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

strongly  opposed  to  it,  and  five  great  Whig  lords  of  the 
Rockingham  party  who  held  vast  estates  in  Ireland  sent  a 
letter  to  Lord  North  remonstrating  against  it.1  The  letter 
was  probably  composed  by  Burke,  their  constant  adviser, 
who  also  wrote  against  the  proposal.2  The  London  com- 
panies which  held  land  in  Ireland  joined  in  the  outcry.  The 
King  disliked  the  tax  itself,  and  was  specially  adverse  to  the 
proposal  because  it  stood  alone  and  did  not  form  part  of  a 
scheme  which  included  the  regulation  of  the  corn  bounty.3 
Before  these  difficulties  North  and  Rochford,  who  had  at 
first  listened  to  Blaquiere's  arguments  with  approval,  gave 
way,  and  North  wrote  that  he  could  not  uphold  the  proposal, 
as  he  was  not  enabled  to  represent  it  as  a  necessary  part  of 
a  general  scheme  for  relieving  the  distress  of  the  Irish  Govern- 
ment.4 In  order,  therefore,  not  to  embarrass  the  Ministers 
and  yet  not  to  discredit  themselves,  Harcourt  and  Blaquiere 
determined  to  ride  for  a  fall ;  the  proposal  should  be  com- 
mitted to  '  a  certain  wild  inconsistent  gentleman/  and  should 
not  be  pressed  by  the  Chief  Secretary.  Their  design  was 
favoured  by  a  report  set  about  by  opponents  of  the  measure 
that  it  was  a  step  towards  a  general  land  tax. 

On  the  day  for  the  motion,  November  25,  *  the  wild  and 
inconsistent  gentleman '  played  his  part.  He  was  probably 
James  Fortescue,  member  for  county  Louth,5  for  a  Mr.  For- 
tescue  certainly  made  the  first  motion  on  the  subject. 
Writing  a  few  hours  later,  however,  Harcourt  says  that  he  did 
not  name  any  amount  for  the  tax,  and  that  he  was  persuaded 
to  withdraw  his  motion,  whereas  elsewhere  his  motion  is  said 
to  have  been  for  a  shilling  in  the  pound,  and  to  have  been 
defeated  on  a  division.6  Harcourt  may,  however,  have  been 
imperfectly  informed  at  the  time  of  writing,  and  Fortescue 
may  have  wished  to  withdraw  his  motion  and  have  not  been 
allowed  to  do  so.  An  amendment  was  moved  by  Silver 

1  Memoirs  of  Rocking  ham,  ii.  227,  sqq.,  and  elsewhere. 

2  Letter  to  Sir  C.  Bingham,  Works,  v.  497,  sqq. 

3  Correspondence  of  George  III.  with  Lord  North,  i.  155-156,  158-159. 

4  North  to  Harcourt,  October  29,  1773.  5  Page  21. 

8  Harcourt  to      orth,  Nov.  26,  1773  ;    but  see  W.  Flood,  Memoirs  of  ff, 
Flood,  p.  90. 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

Oliver,1  member  for  county  Limerick,  who  proposed  a  tax  of 
two  shillings  in  the  pound  on  the  rents  of  landlords  absent 
from  Ireland  for  six  months  of  any  year.  The  debate  began 
at  three  in  the  afternoon  and  lasted  till  near  two  in  the 
morning.  Flood  spoke  with  vehemence  and  ability  in  favour 
of  Oliver's  motion,  which  was  also  supported  by  the  Speaker, 
Sir  Lucius  O'Brien,2  William  Brownlowe,3  Serjeant  Dennis,4 
and  others.  Blaquiere  was  tepid,  and  remarked  that  he  and 
4  his  best  friends  '  would  probably  vote  differently.  The  motion 
was  lost  by  102  to  122.  An  ineffectual  attempt  to  induce 
the  House  to  reconsider  its  decision  caused  Harcourt  some 
anxiety,  and  did  not  pass  without  some  severe  remarks  on 
the  change  in  the  policy  of  the  Castle.5 

Money  had  to  be  sought  from  other  sources.  The  deficit 
on  the  year  was  1 38,8407.,  there  were  floating  debts  of 
4OO,ooo/.,  and  the  national  debt,  which  was  discharged  in  1754, 
and  started  again  under  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  amounted  to 
994,890^  Government  proposed  to  raise  265,0007.  by  a 
tontine,  granting  annuities  on  lives  at  6  per  cent,  with  the 
benefit  of  survivorship.  Harcourt  put  the  saving  effected  by 
reuniting  the  revenue  boards  at  io,ooo/.,  and  thought  that  by 
'  regulation  and  reduction '  this  sum  might  be  raised  to 
5o,ooo/.  ;  a  Stamp  Act  and  other  duties  on  wine,  fine  teas, 
&c.  would  produce  88,8oo/.,  and  so  the  yearly  deficit  would 
be  supplied.6 

The  Commons  consented,  but  the  Privy  Council,  apparently 
from  a  desire  to  assert  its  control,  returned  the  Bills  with 
alterations.  The  House  '  was  in  a  flame ' ;  the  rejection  of 
the  Bills  was  certain,  and  all  Harcourt  could  do  was  to  per- 
suade two  or  three  members  to  prevent  it  from  being  unani- 
mous :  he  would  not  forget  their  compliance.7  The  Commons, 
having  made  their  protest,  passed  the  Supply  Bills,  adopting 
most  of  the  Council's  alterations,  though  Ponsonby,  Barry 
Barry,8  and  the  party  of  the  Duke  of  Leinster,  who  had 

1  Page  40 ;  Lecky,  misled  by  Hardy's  Charlemont,  believed  that  Flood  was 
the  mover  (Hist.  iv.  412),  but  on  this  matter  Harcourt's  letter,  of  November  26, 
is  decisive. 

2  Page  39.  3  Page  8.  4  Page  17.  5  Page  16. 
6  Harcourt  to  North,  December  6,  1773. 

T  Page  16;  Harcourt  to  North,  December  30,  1773.  8  Page  3. 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

succeeded  his  father  on  November  19,  voted  against  the 
Government,  and  the  new  duties  were  secured  for  a  year 
and  nine  months  from  March  25,  1774,  The  Commons  were 
gratified  by  the  consent  of  the  British  Government  to  a  Bill 
for  granting  bounties  on  the  exportation  of  Irish  corn,  and 
they  partially  relieved  the  hereditary  revenue  by  providing 
that  the  bounties  on  the  inland  carriage  of  corn  charged  upon 
it  should  not  for  the  future  exceed  35,ooo/.  ;  any  charge  above 
that  amount  was  to  be  supplied  by  taxation. 

As  a  rule  Harcourt  could  reckon  on  a  good  majority  in 
Parliament,  for  he  steadily  pursued  the  plan  of  gratifying 
members  by  his  use  of  the  Crown  patronage.  Blaquiere, 
who  in  the  summer  of  1774  became  Sir  John,  receiving  the 
*  red  ribband  '  of  the  Order  of  the  Bath,  exercised  an  authority 
in  the  House  of  Commons  which,  combined  with  his  tactical 
skill,  was  of  the  highest  value  on  any  critical  occasion,1  and 
was  indefatigable  in  cajolery  and  in  practising  the  arts  of 
seduction,  so  that  according  to  Charlemont '  the  whole  period 
of  Lord  Harcourt's  viceroyalty  was  a  continued  job.' 2  One 
of  his  successes,  incomplete  at  the  date  of  our  document,  is 
specially  famous.  By  the  autumn  of  1773  Harcourt  had 
reason  to  believe  that  Flood,  the  leader  of  the  patriots  since 
the  death  of  Lucas,  might  be  won  over  by  an  offer  of  place.3 
Blaquiere  promised  him  some  great  office  and,  Flood  main- 
tained, the  first  that  fell  vacant.  A  fine  opportunity  for 
strengthening  the  Government  party  occurred  in  June,  1774 : 
Andrews,  the  Provost  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  died.  Be- 
fore the  breath  was  out  of  Andrews's  body,  Harcourt  begged 
Rochford  to  see  that  the  appointment  was  reserved  for  his 
gift,  that  it  was  not  made  in  London.  He  had  many  appli- 
cations, for  the  office  was  one  of  dignity,  and  was  worth 
2,ooo/.  a  year.  By  the  statutes  it  could  only  be  held  by  an 
ecclesiastic,  but  the  Crown  had  dispensed  with  this  rule  in 
the  appointment  of  Andrews,  and  might  do  so  again.4  Among 
Harcourt's  many  embarrassments  none  had  been  *  more 
difficult  than  to  make  a  proper  provision  for  Mr.  Flood.' 

1  Page  43.  -  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  35. 

8  Harcourt  to  North,  October  3,  1773. 

4  Harcourt  to  Rochford,  June  16  and  19,  1774. 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

Now  this  seemed  possible — not  that  he  meant  to  give  him 
the  provostship,  for  that  was  an  appointment  for  life,  and  he 
thought  that  if  Flood  found  himself  secure,  he  might  some 
day  prove  ungrateful,  but  he  saw  his  way  to  provide 
him  '  with  a  great  and  honourable  appointment '  held  at 
pleasure. 

Harcourt  developed  his  plan.  He  wanted  the  provostship 
for  Hely  Hutchinson,  the  prime  Serjeant  and  alnager.1 
Hutchinson's  place  as  prime  serjeant  was  worth  i.ioo/.  a 
year,  and  his  professional  earnings  brought  up  his  profits  to 
between  4,ooo/.  and  5,ooo/.  As  alnager  he  had  i,8oo/.,  but 
8oo/.  of  this  he  had  bought  for  an  unfinished  term  of 
twenty-one  years  for  5,ooo/.  He  was  tired  of  the  bar,  and 
desired  to  retire  from  practice  and  '  cultivate  the  arts  and 
sciences.'  Harcourt  said  a  good  deal  about  his  fitness  for  the 
provostship,  but  the  plain  truth  is  that  he  wished  to  rob  the 
University  of  2,ooo/.  a  year  to  gratify  a  political  supporter.2 
Hutchinson,  however,  was  not  to  give  up  too  much,  and 
Harcourt  recommended  that  a  request  that  he  made  in  1772 
should  be  granted,  that  he  and  his  two  young  sons  and  the 
survivor  of  them  should  have  the  office  of  searcher  of  the  port 
of  Strangford,  and  that,  the  office  being  valueless,  a  salary  of 
i,ooo/.  should  be  annexed  to  it.  Dennis  was  to  succeed  him 
as  prime  serjeant  to  gratify  Shannon,  with  whom  this  was  *  a 
principal  and  first  object.'  The  alnage  was  to  go  to  Flood 
with  i,ooo/.  a  year. 

Hutchinson,  who  in  spite  of  his  lack  of  scholarship  did 
not  prove  a  bad  provost,  and  Dennis  received  their  appoint- 
ments, but  Flood  refused  the  alnage.  He  was  deeply 
offended  because  the  provostship  was  not  offered  to  him  ;  he 
said  that  Blaquiere  had  promised  him  the  first  great  office 
that  fell  vacant,  and  insisted  on  his  importance,  and  the 
trouble  that  he  could  cause  as  head  of  the  Opposition.3  He 
suggested  that  he  should  be  made  a  vice-treasurer,  which  would 
give  him  a  place  in  the  Privy  Councils  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland,  and  was  then  worth  about  i,7OO/.  a  year.  The  alnage 

1  A  sinecure  office  so-called  from  measuring  stuff  by  the  ell. 

2  Charkmont  Manuscripts >  i.  324. 

3  Harcourt  to  North,  most  private  and  confidential,  July  8,  1774. 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

was  given  to  Blaquiere  with  its  original  salary  of  3OO/.1 
North  was  unwilling  that  Flood  should  have  a  vice-treasurer- 
ship  ;  it  was  an  office  always  used  as  a  reward  for  political 
services  in  England.  Besides,  none  of  the  three  vice- 
treasurerships  was  vacant.  Flood  insisted  on  his  demand, 
and  Harcourt  urged  that  any  expense  would  be  better  than 
having  him  at  the  head  of  the  Opposition.2 

At  last,  after  many  ineffectual  efforts,  an  arrangement 
was  made  for  a  vacancy.  Jenkinson,  afterwards  first  Earl  of 
Liverpool,  would  resign  his  vice-treasurership  for  a  considera- 
tion. A  sufficient  consideration  was  supplied.  Charles  James 
Fox  held  the  sinecure  office  of  clerk  of  the  pells  in  Ireland.  A 
ruined  gambler,  he  was  in  need  of  ready  money,  and  sold  his 
office  for  3O,ooo/.,  and  a  pension  of  i,7OO/.  a  year  from  Ireland. 
The  agreement  between  him  and  Blaquiere  was  signed  on 
April  12,  1775,  the  pension  being  divided  into  several  sums 
to  enable  Fox  to  sell  it  more  easily.3  North  was  much 
worried  by  the  business,  and  declared  that  it  would  be  his 
undoing.  Such  was  the  state  of  the  affair  at  the  date  given 
in  our  document.4  Fox  did  not  reap  much  benefit  from  the 
transaction  ;  the  ready  money  of  course  went  to  his  creditors, 
and  he  soon  found  that  he  would  incur  a  heavy  penalty  if  he 
sat  in  Parliament  while  holding  the  pension,  and  was  forced 
to  resign  it.  Jenkinson  had  the  pells,  but  when  the  vacant 
vice-treasurership  was  offered  to  Flood  he  refused  to  take  it. 
He  went  back  to  the  old  grievance  of  not  having  the  provost- 
ship.  He  pointed  out  that  a  vice-treasurer  was  liable  to  be 
deprived  of  office,  and  finally  said  that,  though  he  was  willing 
to  oblige  Harcourt  by  accepting  his  offer,  he  could  not  do  so 
if  it  was  to  add  to  the  burdens  of  Ireland.5  As  Harcourt 
remarked,  he  must  have  known  that  a  vacancy  could  not 
be  made  for  him  without  creating  a  new  pension.6  In 
October,  however,  Flood  alleged  that  he  was  convinced,  by 
an  ingenious  calculation  of  Jenkinson's,  that  the  arrange- 

1  Correspondence  of  George  III.  with  Lord  North ,  i.  194. 

2  Harcourt  to  North,  September  3,  1774. 

3  Harcourt  Papers,  x.  322.  4  Page  21. 
5  Harcourt  to  North,  August  13,  1775. 

9  Harcourt  to  Blaquiere,  September  19,  1775. 


INTRODUCTION  xxix 

merit  would  only  cost  the  country  35O/.  a  year,  while  the 
restoration  to  Ireland  of  a  great  office  with  a  large  salary 
was  a  matter  of  national  dignity  and  pecuniary  advantage, 
and  he  accepted  the  office  for  which  he  had  struggled  so  long.1 

Reports  of  Flood's  contemplated  defection  got  abroad,  and 
while  the  negotiations  were  as  yet  in  progress,  his  friend  Charle- 
mont  wrote  long  and  urgent  letters  to  him  entreating  him  not 
to  desert  the  patriotic  cause.2  When  the  matter  was  decided 
he  did  not  quarrel  with  his  (  dearest,  dear  Flood,'  and,  though 
he  felt  that  he  had  lost  his  friend,  kept  up  friendly  relations 
with  him,  and  in  after-years  recorded  his  opinion  that  Flood 
had  mainly  been  influenced  by  a  mistaken  belief  that  he 
could  serve  his  country  better  in  high  office  than  in  opposition.3 
Lecky  adopted  this  view,  and  has  written  an  able  defence  of 
Flood's  integrity.4  Perhaps  he  scarcely  allows  due  weight  to 
an  incident  which  he  notes  somewhat  cursorily.  As  early  as 
I/675  Flood  eagerly  desired  a  seat  in  the  British  Parliament, 
a  more  extended  field  for  an  ambitious  politician  than  the 
Parliament  of  Ireland,  and  in  1769  was  prepared  to  bid  as 
high  as  4,ooo/.  for  one 6 ;  but  the  matter  fell  through.  He 
would  then  have  entered  the  House  as  an  adherent  of 
Chatham  and  Camden,  with  whom  he  was  in  occasional 
communication. 

In  April  1775  Charlemont  heard  that  he  was  seeking  a 
seat  as  a  follower  of  North,  and  refused  to  believe  that  he 
would  '  enlist  under  the  banners  of  a  Ministry  engaged  in 
operations  not  only  disapproved  by  your  judgment,  but 
abhorrent  to  the  warmest  feelings  of  your  heart.' 7  He 
doubtless  alluded — at  least  chiefly — to  the  quarrel  with  the 
American  Colonies.  The  report  was  in  the  main  true.  Flood 
asked  North  to  provide  him  with  a  seat  in  1776,  and  his 

1  Original  Letters  to  H.  Flood,  pp.  68-9. 

2  Ibid.,  pp.  65-67,  70-84. 

3  Charlemont  Manuscripts,  i.  38-39. 

4  History,  iv.  420-28,  where  a  fuller  account  of  the  negotiations  is  given  than 
seemed  called  for   here,  and  Leaders  of  Public  Opinion  in  Ireland,  pp.  76-8. 
Flood's  own  defence  was  made  in  Parliament  on  November  I,  1783  (see  Memoirs 
of  H.  Flood,  pp.  2IO,  sqq.). 

5  Lecky  overlooked  this  first  attempt  (see  Historv,  iv.  428). 

u  Letters  to  Flood,  p.  48.  7  Ibid.,  p.  71. 


xxx  INTRODUCTION 

request  was  declined.1  It  may  indeed  be  pleaded  that  North 
wished  well  to  Ireland,  and  in  1775  and  1779-80  conferred 
considerable  benefits  upon  her,  and  that  Flood  may  have 
acted  conscientiously  in  deserting  the  American  cause  for  the 
sake  of  his  own  country.  But  Charlemont  knew  as  much  of 
all  this  as  Flood  did,  and  his  opinion  should  have  the 
greatest  possible  weight,  for  he  was  a  man  of  the  nicest 
honour.  Whatever,  then,  Flood's  motives  for  accepting 
office  may  have  been,  and  they  doubtless  were  not  wholly 
selfish,  they  should  not  be  estimated  without  taking  into 
account  his  willingness  to  become  one  of  North's  followers. 

In  the  summer  of  1775  Harcourt  had  some  cause  for 
anxiety  as  to  the  future.  Heavy  as  the  taxes  were  which 
had  recently  been  voted,  they  were  insufficient  to  meet  the 
needs  of  Government ;  the  expenses  of  the  two  years 
ending  at  Lady-day  had  exceeded  the  revenue  by  247,7977.  ; 
the  national  debt  was  stated  at  93i,69O/.,  and  the  net  amount 
of  civil  pensions  for  the  two  years  at  i64,i37/.  I2s.,  and 
the  list,  as  it  stood  on  September  29,  amounted  to 
79,059/.  17^.  6d?  More  money  would  soon  be  urgently 
needed,  and  it  seemed  impossible  to  get  it  by  taxation  ;  the 
linen  manufacture  was  ruined  by  the  cessation  of  trade  with 
America,  and  the  profits  of  agriculture  were  swept  away  by 
an  embargo  on  the  exportation  of  provisions. 

The  quarrel  with  the  colonies  had  been  growing  more  and 
more  bitter,  and  on  April  19  war  had  actually  begun.  The 
refusal  of  the  dominant  party  in  the  colonies  to  acknowledge 
the  claim  of  the  British  Government  to  impose  internal  taxation 
appealed  to  the  sympathy  of  Irishmen,  who  constantly  main- 
tained that  money  Bills  could  not  constitutionally  originate 
elsewhere  than  in  their  own  House  of  Commons,  and  that 
they  must  be  accepted  without  alteration.  The  Presbyterians 
of  the  north  were  almost  universally  on  the  American  side,  and 
were  encouraged  in  their  sentiments  by  correspondence  with 
leading  members  of  the  Opposition  in  the  British  Parliament.3 
Many  Irish  emigrants,  mostly,  though  not  exclusively,  Pro- 
testant, had  lately  gone  over  to  the  colonies,  and  from  them 

1  North  to  Harcourt,  March  25,  1776. 

-  Commons'  Journals  >  xvii.  115-121,  134,  179  ;  Plowden,  Historical  Review, 
441.  3  Blaquiere  to  North,  October  12,  1775  (see  Appendix). 


INTRODUCTION  xxxi 

came  the  pick  of  the  rebel  forces,  and  Irishmen  thought 
kindly  of  a  land  in  which  their  fellow-countrymen  had  found 
a  home  and  prosperity,  while  as  for  England,  what  had  she 
done  for  them  ?  Sympathy  with  the  revolt  was  gaining 
strength  daily ;  at  midsummer  the  municipality  of  Dublin  ex- 
pressed the  feelings  of  the  citizens  by  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Lord  Efrmgham  for  having  resigned  his  command  rather  than 
'  draw  his  sword  against  the  lives  and  liberties  of  his  fellow- 
subjects  in  America.'  The  Opposition  in  Parliament  was 
numerically  weak,  but  it  would  certainly  use  American 
affairs  as  giving  opportunity  for  activity  during  the  coming 
session,  and  there  was  so  little  stability  in  the  composition  of 
parties,  that  it  might  at  any  time  receive  an  unexpected  re- 
inforcement. At  this  moment  the  disposition  of  the  Irish 
Parliament  was  peculiarly  important  to  the  British  Govern- 
ment ;  for  the  Ministers  were  anxious  to  be  enabled  to  prove 
that  the  King's  policy  was  not  unpopular  in  Ireland,  and  the 
King  wanted  to  withdraw  troops  from  her  for  service  in 
America. 

The  regiments  in  Ireland  were  not  nearly  up  to  their 
full  strength,  the  infantry  regiments  on  an  average  not 
reaching  500  effective  men  and  officers.  In  January  1775 
the  number  of  effective  soldiers  in  the  kingdom  was  12,636, 
but  so  many  of  these  were  under  orders  to  sail,  that 
Blaquiere,  who  was  in  London,  found  that  the  number  would 
be  reduced  to  11,618  men,  382  less  than  the  Crown  was 
bound  to  keep  in  Ireland,  and  he  told  Rochford  plainly  that 
the  Ministers  were  acting  illegally.1  The  regiments  which 
came  over  from  England  were  likewise  short  of  men  ;  the 
30th  Foot,  which  landed  on  April  19,  had  only  439  effective 
men  and  officers,  the  3rd  Foot,  which  came  over  in  May,  only 
430.  Rochford  wrote  to  the  Lord-Lieutenant  that  in  order 
to  fill  vacancies  more  speedily  '  the  King  granted  him  leave 
to  connive  at  the  regiments  then  in  Ireland  taking  Irish 
recruits.' 2  Recruiting  was  urged  forward  both  in  the  Catholic 
south  and  the  Presbyterian  north.  The  Catholics  responded 
eagerly ;  the  rich  among  them  subscribed  to  give  extra 
bounties  on  enlistment,  and  recruits  came  forward  in  large 

1  Blaquiere  to  Harcourt,  January  20,  1775. 

2  Rochford  to  Harcourt,  February  6  and  March  31,  1775. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

numbers.  Between  April  6  and  May  n,  however,  3,619 
men  and  officers  were  embarked,  and  on  June  I  only  10,736 
effective  men  were  left  in  the  country.1  Harcourt  must  have 
expected  the  notice,  which  was  actually  sent  to  him  on 
August  I,  that  he  would  have  to  inform  Parliament  that  the 
King  desired  their  concurrence  in  withdrawing  a  force  of 
4,000  men  from  the  already  depleted  Irish  army  for  service  in 
America.  The  Catholics  had  no  political  power  ;  he  would 
have  to  appeal  to  a  Parliament  of  Irish  Protestants  ;  how 
would  the  announcement  be  received  ?  It  is  certain,  too, 
that  he  and  Blaquiere  were  already  contemplating  the 
general  election  for  which,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  Appendix, 
they  made  preparations  in  the  autumn. 

They  had  cause  for  considering  what  hold  they  had  upon 
the  existing  Parliament,  and  for  reckoning  upon  the  amount 
of  support  on  which  they  could  rely,  for  noting  the  favours 
which  members  had  already  received  from  Government,  and 
the  return  that  they  had  made  for  them.  Such  a  list 
would  enable  the  Lord-Lieutenant  and  the  Chief  Secretary  to 
gauge  their  position,  and  would  be  a  guide  in  dispensing 
future  favours.  The  preparation  of  this  list  would  naturally 
fall  to  Blaquiere,  and  the  result  of  his  political  stock-taking  is 
given  in  the  following  document.  That,  in  spite  of  more  than 
one  notice  of  his  own  performances  such  as  no  man  of  ordinary 
modesty  could  write,2  it  is  his  composition  seems  proved  by 
one  of  the  passages  in  which  the  first  person  singular  occurs, 
the  note  on  Richard  Fitzgerald  :  the  matter  to  which  this 
passage  refers  was  of  so  peculiarly  delicate  a  character,  that 
the  letter  mentioned  there  would  not  have  been  in  the 
keeping  of  any  one  except  either  the  Lord- Lieutenant  or  the 
Chief  Secretary.  Admitting  that  Blaquiere  composed  the 
document,  we  may  see  some  significance  in  the  absence  of 
any  remark  after  his  name,  and  in  the  account  of  his  duel 
with  Beauchamp  Bagenall.  The  state  of  the  House  of  Commons 
is  given  as  on  July  2,  1775  ;  and  that  we  may  fairly  assume 
to  have  been  the  approximate  date  of  the  whole  original 
manuscript. 

1  The  numbers  of  the  troops  are  taken  from  a  return  made  by  the  Adjutant  - 
General  of  the  Irish  Army  to  the  House  of  Commons  (see  Commons'  fourna/s, 
xvii.  96-7).  2  Pages  34,  41. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxiii 

Another  somewhat  similar  list  is  printed  in  the  '  Harcourt 
Papers,'  x.  287-371,  and  many  of  the  remarks  which  there 
follow  the  names  of  members  are  repeated  in  our  document 
But  it  belongs  to  an  earlier  date,  recording  the  state  of  things 
at  the  very  beginning  of  Harcourt's  lieutenancy,  and  is  by 
no  means  so  full  or  so  interesting.  That  it  was  not  drawn  up 
before  December  1773  is  proved  by  its  notices  of  'the  late ' 
Administration.  It  was  certainly  not  made  later  than 
October  12,  1773  ;  for  Thomas  Monck  is  given  as  member 
for  Old  Leighlin,  and  Blaquiere  was  elected  to  fill  his  place, 
vacant  by  death,  before  October  1 2,  for  according  to  an  Act  of 
ii  George  III.,  the  Speaker  issued  warrants  for  new  writs 
during  a  recess  of  Parliament  in  the  places  of  any  who  died 
during  that  period.1  This  would  give  from  December  i,  1772, 
to  October  1773  as  the  possible  time  for  the  'Harcourt 
Papers '  list.  But  we  may  perhaps  get  a  nearer  date.  In  the 
'  Harcourt  Papers '  list  Hugh  Massey,  member  for  co. 
Limerick,  is  represented  as  wanting  a  regiment  for  his  brother. 
Now  his  brother,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Eyre  Massey,  was 
appointed  colonel  of  the  27th  Inniskilling  Regiment  of  Foot 
on  February  19,  1773,  and  therefore  the  list  must  have  been 
drawn  up  before  that  date.2  The  Appendix  of  this  volume 
contains  what  may  be  described  as  a  sequel  to  Blaquiere's 
list,  a  record  of  the  political  success  attained  through  the 
corrupt  means  by  which  the  direct  influence  of  the  Crown 
was  established  over  Parliament,  the  rise  of  a  spirit  which 
threatened  to  weaken  that  influence,  and  the  further  means 
taken  by  Lord  Harcourt  to  preserve  and  strengthen  it.  The 
effects  which  the  royal  policy  and  the  method  of  carrying  it 
out  brought  upon  Ireland  lie  beyond  my  limits. 

The  document  which  follows  occupies  about  two-thirds, 
and  is  the  sole  contents  of  an  oblong  quarto  volume,  bound 
in  limp  red  morocco  gilt,  with  gilt  edges  to  the  leaves,  and 
a  flap  originally  fastened  with  a  band.  The  binding  is 
English,  or  in  this  case  more  probably  Irish  work,  for 
Blaquiere,  who  in  1775  married  an  Irish  lady,  Eleanor, 

1  Commons'  Journals ^  xvi.  9. 

2  I  have  to  thank  Mr.  H.  Hall,  of  the  Record  Office,  for  kindly  pointing  this 
out  to  me. 

b 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION 

daughter  of  Robert  Dobson,  of  Cork,  settled  in  Ireland,  and 
in  1800  was  created  Baron  de  Blaquiere  in  the  Irish  peerage. 
The  handwriting  is  not  Blaquiere's,1  but  that  of  a  clerk  or 
professional  transcriber,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
volume  was  transcribed  for  Blaquiere  from  his  original 
manuscript,  which  would  probably  either  be  left  among  the 
muniments  of  the  Castle,  or  taken  away  by  Lord  Harcourt. 
Four  large  volumes  of  Harcourt's  correspondence,  chiefly 
transcripts,  are  in  the  Public  Record  Office,  two  relating  to 
his  embassy  in  France,  and  the  other  two  to  his  lieutenancy 
in  Ireland,  and  they  are  officially  certified  as  having  been 
Blaquiere's  property.  It  is  worth  noting  that  all  four  are 
bound  in  the  same  red  morocco  and  in  the  same  style  as 
this  volume,  except  that  being  large  and  heavy  they  have 
solid  covers,  and  the  flaps  seem  to  have  been  fastened  with 
clasps,  and  perhaps  locked.  In  the  list  of  members  in  this 
volume  a  thin  ink-mark  is  placed  over  each  name,  as  though 
a  copyist  had  gone  through  the  list  ticking  the  names  off  to 
ensure  the  completeness  of  his  work.  Another  evidence  of 
transcription  is  that  the  note  explaining  the  significance  of 
the  marks  appended  to  certain  names  in  the  *  State  of  the 
House  of  Commons '  (p.  56)  is  screwed  in  cross-wise  in 
a  small  vacant  space  in  the  page  before  the  *  State,'  as 
though  it  had  first  been  omitted  by  mistake,  and  then 
inserted  as  near  to  its  proper  place  as  was  possible.  The 
marks  are  for  the  most  part  omitted  in  the  list. 

The  manuscript  has  been  printed  as  it  stands,  except 
that  a  few  contracted  words,  such  as  Excellency,  have  re- 
ceived their  obvious  expansion  :  there  is  no  good  middle 
way  between  expanding  a  contraction,  and  representing  it 
in  facsimile,  which  in  this  case  would  have  entailed  an 
absolutely  useless  expense.  The  volume  was  purchased 
some  years  ago  of  a  London  bookseller  by  Mr.  Vincent 

mendation  of  my  friend  Mr.  C.  Hagberg  Wright,  Mr.  Scully 
invited  me  to  edit  it. 

1  By  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  S.  C.  Lomas,  of  the  Record  Office,  I  have  been 
enabled  to  compare  the  writing  with  that  of  a  private  letter  of  Blaquiere's  to 
William  Pitt,  undoubtedly  written  by  his  ownjiand,  and  to  profit  by  her  skill  in 
such  a  matter. 


THE    MANUSCRIPT 

CONCERNING 

THE  IRISH  PARLIAMENT.  1775 

IN   THE   POSSESSION   OF 

VINCENT   SCULLY,  ESQUIRE 


[The  manuscript  volume  which  contains  this  document  has 
no  title>  nor  has  this  List  of  the  Members  of  the  Irish 
House  of  Commons  any  heading.  The  spelling  of  the 
manuscript  has  been  preserved.~\ 


Errata 

Page  xxxiv,  7  lines  from  bottom,  dele  "lately  member  for  Co.  Tipperary.*'     Mr. 
Vincent  Scully  has  never  sat  in  Parliament. 

,,    92,  10  lines  from  bottom,  for  Perry  (F. )  read  Perry  (G.  G.) 


Connected  with  Lord  Shannon — was  a  Commissioner  of 
the  Barrack  Board — exchanged  in  November  1772  with  Mr. 
Mitchell,  the  Treasurer — a  good  attendant  but  will  find  it 
very  difficult  to  come  in  again  for  Bandon. 

Agar,  James.    COUNTY  OF  KILKENNY 

Commissioner  of  the  Customs — a  Trustee  of  the  Linen 
Board — his  brother  a  Bishop — has  two  Boroughs — Sold  three 
Seats — ought  not  to  Sell  One  now  that  he  is  provided  for — 
Mr.  Geo.  Dunbar  who  is  in  for  his  fourth  Seat  has  a  Pension 
of  £300,  obtained  by  Lord  Townshend — He  is  nephew  to 
Mr.  Ellis — has  had  many  small  Favours  from  Lord  Harcourt, 
particularly,  2  Boatmen — 3  Tidewaiters — 3  Supernumerary 
Guagers — 4  Hearth  Money  Collectors — Two  Distributors  ol 
Stamps — a  Supervisor  of  Hearth  Money. 

Alexander,  James.     CITY  OF  DERRY 

Came  in  upon  the  Death  of  the  late  Provost — a  Gentle- 
man of  large  Property  &  good  Character. 

B 


[The  manuscript  volume  which  contains  this  document  has 
no  title,  nor  has  this  List  of  the  Members  of  the  Irish 
House  of  Commons  any  heading.  The  spelling  of  the 
manuscript  has  been  preserved^ 

Acheson,  Sir  Archd.    COUNTY  OF  ARMAGH 

A  Privy  Councillor — Recommended  for  a  Peerage — 
wants  an  Employment  of  ^"200  a  year  for  his  Son  in  Law — 
a  Steady  Friend  to  Government,  &  a  most  respectable  man 
— Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Recommendation  a  Distributor 
of  Stamps. 

Adderly,  Thomas.    BOROUGH  OF  BANDON 

Connected  with  Lord  Shannon — was  a  Commissioner  of 
the  Barrack  Board — exchanged  in  November  1772  with  Mr. 
Mitchell,  the  Treasurer — a  good  attendant  but  will  find  it 
very  difficult  to  come  in  again  for  Bandon. 

Agar,  James.    COUNTY  OF  KILKENNY 

Commissioner  of  the  Customs — a  Trustee  of  the  Linen 
Board — his  brother  a  Bishop — has  two  Boroughs — Sold  three 
Seats — ought  not  to  Sell  One  now  that  he  is  provided  for — 
Mr.  Geo.  Dunbar  who  is  in  for  his  fourth  Seat  has  a  Pension 
of  £300,  obtained  by  Lord  Townshend — He  is  nephew  to 
Mr.  Ellis — has  had  many  small  Favours  from  Lord  Harcourt, 
particularly,  2  Boatmen — 3  Tidewaiters — 3  Supernumerary 
Guagers — 4  Hearth  Money  Collectors — Two  Distributors  oi 
Stamps — a  Supervisor  of  Hearth  Money. 

Alexander,  James.     CITY  OF  DERRY 

Came  in  upon  the  Death  of  the  late  Provost — a  Gentle- 
man of  large  Property  &  good  Character. 

B 


2  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Aldworth,  Richard,  Junr.     B.  OF  DONERAILE 

Lord  Shannon's  Friend — Nephew  to  Mr.  Sentleger  Sent- 
leger  who  sollicits  the  Title  of  Doneraile. 

Allan,  Thomas.    BOROUGH  OF  KILLYBEGS 

Purchased  his  Seat — was  a  Commissioner  of  the  Customs 
— upon  re-uniting  the  Boards,  he  was  removed  &  pensioned 
at  £600. — formerly  Taster  of  Wines  for  which  he  received 
from  Mr.  Beresford  £800 — He  had  several  small  Favours  from 
Lord  Townshend — bad  Health — If  he  can  avoid  it  he  will 
not  again  come  into  Parliament.  My  Lord  Lieutenant  has 
given  to  his  Recommendation  2  Tidewaiters  and  One  Coast 
Officer's  Employment. 

Archdall,  Mervyn.    Co.  FERMANAGH 

Married  to  Dawson's  Daughter  &  much  connected 

with  Lord  Ross — Seeks  Popularity  in  the  County — generally 
against. 

Armstrong,  John.    BOROUGH  OF  FORE 

Purchased  his  Seat  from  Lord  Westmeath — Is  a  Lawyer 
with  a  large  fortune — with  Government  in  general,  but  much 
abroad — Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Friend  Lieutenant  Lumm 
a  Company,  &  recommended  Mrs.  Thomas  Mr.  A.'s  Sister 
for  a  Pension,  but  did  not  obtain  it. 

Aylmer,  Sir  Fitzgerald.    BOROUGH  OF  OLD  LEIGHLIN 

Connected  with,  &  constantly  follows  the  Duke  of 
Leinster. 

Bagenall,  Beauchamp.    Co.  CARLOW 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  a  Lieutenant  Colonelcy  for  his 
Friend  Major  Pigot — Promised  to  support — went  abroad, 
&  never  gave  a  Vote  to  Government  during  Lord  Towns- 
hend's  Administration — In  the  beginning  of  Lord  Harcourt's 
He  contrived  to  quarrell  with  &  fight  Sir  John  Blaquiere — 
Sir  John  stood  One  Shot  and  allowed  him  to  snap  his  Pistol 
at  him  seven  Times — Sir  John  reserved  his  Fire — Soon  after 
this  very  generous  Proceeding  He  ask'd  the  Collection  of 
Drogheda  worth  £400  for  his  Friend  Townley  Dawson — He 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  3 

did  not  attend  during  the  last  Session — It  is  said  He  does 
not  stand  for  the  County  or  come  into  Parliament  at  the  next 
General  Election. 

Balfour,  B.  Townley.     B.  OF  CARLINGFORD 

Lord  Townshend  gave  his  friend  a  Deanery  worth  £200 
— during  his  Lordship's  Administration  Independent  and 
with  Government  when  he  wanted  a  point — and  when  he 
had  nothing  to  ask  with  Lord  Tyrone — To  Lord  Harcourt's 
Administration  He  has  been  uniformly  steady — His  Ex- 
cellency gave  to  his  Nomination  the  Surveyorship  of  Queens- 
borough  worth  £150 — to  Mr.  Moore — and  Distributor  of 
Stamps  for  the  County  Lowth. 

Barry,  Barry.     Co.  CAVAN 

Brother  to  Lord  Farnham — Prothonotary  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  for  life,  &  Lord  Farnham  had  leave  to  Sell 
his  Office  of  Birmingham  Tower,  £7000.  in  his  Pocket — This 
Gentleman  on  being  refused  to  have  his  Son's  Life  included 
in  the  Prothonotor's  Patent,  constantly  opposed — He  was 
equally  an  oponent  during  the  last  Session  to  Lord  Har- 
court's Administration  as  he  had  been  during  the  whole  of 
Lord  Townshend's. 

Barry,  Robert.     B.  OF  CHARLEVILLE 

Brought  in  by  Lord  Shannon — Seneschall  of  the  King's 
Manours  £600. —  Commissioner  of  Appeals  ^300.  and 
King's  Council — Supports  from  Situation — attach'd  to  Lord 
Shannon. 

Barry,  James.     B.  OF  RATHCORMICK 

Brother  to  Mrs.  Sentleger  Sentleger — Lord  Shannon's 
Friend — wont  be  returned  at  the  next  General  Election — 
That  Borough  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Tonson. 

Beauchamp,  Lord.    Co.  ANTRIM 

His  Brother  Henry  Constable  of  Dublin  Castle  and  Clerk 
of  the  Crown  in  the  King's  Bench  in  Reversion — Privy  Coun- 
sellor— Lord  Harcourt  obtained  for  his  brother  Robert  a 
Majority  of  Horse. 

B  2 


4  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Beresford,  John.     Co.  WATERFORD 

Brother  to  Lord  Tyrone — Privy  Council — Commissioner 
of  the  Revenue  £1000. — Taster  of  Wines  to  him  and  his 
Son  ;£iooo.  more — a  Living  of  £700.  to  his  Brother,  and 
many  Employments  in  the  Revenue  to  his  Friends  during 
Lord  Townshend's  Administration — He  is  a  Man  of  Busi- 
ness— has  been  very  steady  in  his  Support — Lord  Harcourt 
has  given  to  his  Recommendation  the  following  Employ- 
ments— Six  Boatmen — 11  Tidewaiters — 7  Guagers — i  Coast 
Officer. 

Bernard,  Francis.     B.  OF  BANDON 

Always  lives  in  England — He  has  a  very  large  Fortune. 

Bingham,  Sir  Charles.    Co.  MAYO 

Formerly  wanted  to  be  of  the  Privy  Council — has  always 
been  in  Opposition  both  to  Lord  Townshend's  and  during 
the  last  Session  to  Lord  Harcourt's  Administration — He  is 
in  private  Life  a  respectable  amiable  Man — Independent 
from  Fortune — Has  been  attentive  to  Lord  Harcourt  and  is 
very  much  attach'd  to  Sir  John  Blaquiere — It  is  probable  in 
the  ensuing  Session  he  may  Support — His  object  is  a 
Peerage — he  has  been  very  usefull  to  Sir  John  in  his  late 
Negotiations  particularly  with  Mr.  Fox. 

Birch,  Robt.    B.  OF  BELTURBET 

Purchased  of  Lord  Lanesborough,  and  has  also  secured  a 
Seat  in  the  New  Parliament — Lord  Townshend  allowed  his 
Brother  to  resign  his  place  in  the  Revenue  to  his  Nephew- 
gave  several  small  Employments  to  his  Friends — He  is  a  sort 
of  Merchant  Banker — A  Man  of  bad  Character  in  private 
Life — His  object  is  to  obtain  from  the  Crown  a  Grant  of 
some  Livings  which  belonged  to  an  Estate  he  purchased  of 
Lord  Kingsland — He  supported  steadily  Lord  Townshend's 
Administration,  and  he  has  behaved  equally  well  to  Lord 
Harcourt's  —  His  Excellency  has  given  his  Friends  the 
following  Employments — One  Hearth  Money  Collection — 
One  Coast  Officer. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  5 

Blackwood,  John.    B.  OF  BANGOR 

Usually  in  Opposition — not  to  be  influenced  except  by 
Lord  Hertford  who  made  His  Father  a  Baronet — Inde- 
pendent. 

Blakeney,  John.    BOROUGH  OF  ATHENRY 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  Leave  for  him  to  sell  his 
Company  which  he  had  not  purchased,  and  gave  him  a  Pen- 
sion of  £200. — He  now  wants  an  Addition  of  ^"200.  more. 

Theophilus  Blakeney.    B.  OF  ATHENRY 

He  is  Brother  to  John — He  had  also  Leave  to  Sell  his 
Company  which  He  had  not  purchased,  and  Lord  Townshend 
made  him  a  Surveyor-General  £500.  a  year — These  Gentlemen 
have  a  Family  Borough,  but  at  the  General  Election  One  of 
them  only  will  be  returned  for  it,  their  Nephew,  to  whom  it 
belongs,  being  of  Age  intends  being  in  Parliament  himself— 
Theo.  says  he  has  not  more  than  £800.  in  the  World  which 
he  will  apply  towards  the  Purchase  of  a  Seat,  but  unless  he 
is  assisted  by  Government  He  will  not  be  able  to  accomplish 
it — In  Lord  Townshend's  Administration  they  attended  con- 
stantly— during  the  last  Session  they  absented  themselves  on 
several  critical  Occasions  and  twice  went  to  the  Country 
without  any  communication  with  Sir  John. 

Blighe,  Thomas.     B.  OF  ATHBOY 

Behaved  very  honourably  to  Government  during  Lord 
Townshend's  Administration,  particularly  in  his  Support  of 
the  Augmentation — His  Lordship  gave  a  Deanery  to  his 
Brother  and  an  Ensigncy  to  his  Nephew — He  did  not  attend 
on  any  material  Question  during  the  last  Session. 

Blunden,  Sir  John.    CITY  OF  KILKENNY 

Made  a  Baronet  in  1766 — has  some  Demand  on  Govern- 
ment of  the  nature  of  Lord  Conyngham's — Lord  Townshend 
lost  the  Vouchers  of  it — He  wants  a  Pension — Lord  Tyrone 
has  some  Influence  with  him  —  Supported  &  Opposed 
alternately — Always,  to  use  his  own  Expression  to  Lord 
North,  in  the  Wrong  Box — He  did  not  attend  during  the 
last  Session. 


6  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Bolton,  Cornelius.     CITY  OF  WATERFORD 

Always  in  Opposition — Lord  Tyrone  affects  to  have  some 
Influence  with  him — has  been  latterly  attach'd  to  Mr.  Pon- 
sonby — very  Independent. 

Burrowes,  Sir  Kildare.    Co.  KILDARE 
Entirely  attach'd  to  the  Duke  of  Leinster. 

Bourke,  John,  senr.    BOROUGH  OF  NAAS 

Commissioner  of  Customs — Lord  Townshend  obtained 
the  Bishoprick  of  Femes  for  his  Son — He  made  another  a 
Landwaiter,  and  gave  to  his  recommendation  a  number  of 
small  Employments  in  the  Revenue — He  supported  steadily — 
He  now  wants  a  Peerage — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
recommendation — i  Boatman — i  Tidewaiter — i  Guager — 
i  Hearth  Money  Collection  —  i  Coast  Officer  —  i  Land 
Carriage  Officer. 

John  Bourke,  junr.     BOROUGH  OF  NAAS 

Son  to  the  Commissioner — He  was  in  Lord  Townshend's 
Administration  Surveyor  of  the  Stores  worth  £400. — his 
Lordship  obtained  a  Pension  of  ,£200.  to  his  Friend  Mr. 
Ormsby,  by  which  means  he  discharged  a  Debt  of  .£1,500.— 
Lord  Harcourt  made  him  Receiver-General  of  the  Stamp 
Office  worth  £600. — He  is  a  very  zealous  Friend  to  Govern- 
ment, but  not  inattentive  to  his  own  Interests — very  attach'd 
to  Lord  Townshend — a  useful  Member  of  Parliament,  and 
has  been  very  zealous  and  active  in  support  of  Lord  Harcourt's 
Administration — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation One  Quay  Porter  £4.0. 

Broderick,  Edward.     BOROUGH  OF  MIDDLETON 

Brought  in  by  Lady  Middleton — has  a  Commission  in 
the  Guards — sometimes  assisted  and  as  often  opposed  Lord 
Townshend  —  seldom  attends — not  at  all  during  the  last 
Session — Influenced  entirely  by  Lady  Middleton. 

Butler,  Pierce.     B.  OF  KILLYLEAH 

Brother  to  Lord  Carrick — has  hitherto  supported. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  7 

Brooke,  Sir  Arthur.     Co.  FERMANAGH 

Made  a  Baronet  in  1764 — Lord  Townshend  obtained  the 
Privy  Council  for  him,  and  a  Majority  of  Dragoons  for  his 
Brother  without  Purchase — Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Cler- 
mont — against  Government  in  his  Heart,  much  connected 
with  the  Tyrones  &  Fortescues,  and  during  Lord  Towns- 
hend's  Administration  acted  as  they  did — In  the  last  Session 
he  opposed  upon  every  material  Question  at  the  same  pro- 
fessing great  attachment  to  Lord  Harcourt  &  living  much 
with  him — He  obtained  by  surprise  upon  His  Excellency 
the  office  of  Distributor  of  Stamps  for  this  County  at  the 
very  moment  he  was  opposing  the  Duty  in  the  House,  and 
then  quarrell'd  with  &  maligned  Sir  John  Blaquiere  in 
every  company  because  he  told  him  that  he  believed  that 
office  was  engaged  to  a  Friend  who  supported  the  measure, 
and  that  if  the  disposal  of  it  had  depended  upon  him,  He, 
Sir  Arthur,  should  not  have  it — In  private  Life  He  is 
generally  esteem'd — In  publick  very  insincere,  ungratefull  to 
the  Crown,  &  never  to  be  depended  on — For  his  Conduct 
last  Session  He  ought  to  have  been  struck  out  of  the  Council. 

Browne,  James.     BOROUGH  OF  JAMESTOWN 

Son  to  Lord  Altamont — At  the  Bar — able  in  Parliament 
but  very  ill  heard — very  steady — entirely  devoted  to  his 
Brother  the  Colonel's  Interest  and  contributes  much  to  the 
Support  of  his  Family — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  One  Boatman. 

Browne,  Arthur.     BOROUGH  OF  GOWRAN 

Second  Son  to  Lord  Altamont — Lieutenant  Colonel  of 
the  28th  by  Purchase — Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Son  a 
Cornetcy — made  one  Brother  a  Surveyor  General  ,£500. — 
allowed  the  younger  Brother  to  succeed  the  Surveyor  in  the 
Collection  of  Foxford  worth  £270. — strongly  attach'd  to  Lord 
Townshend — a  most  zealous  Friend  of  Government — Altho' 
a  bad  Speaker  a  most  usefull  &  necessary  Member  for  the 
Castle  &  much  beloved — He  has  supported  Lord  Harcourt 
with  great  Steadiness  and  very  ably — His  Excellency  obtained 
for  him  the  Constableship  of  Carrickfergus  with  a  Sallary  of 


8  THE    IRISH   PARLIAMENT,  1775 

^365. — It  is  said  the  Lands  belonging  to  it  are  worth  ^"200 
more — and  His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recommendation 
i  Boatman — i  Guager — i  Hearth  Money  Collector. 

Brownlowe,  William.    COUNTY  OF  ARMAGH 

Privy  Counsellor — Independent — very  able  in  Parliament 
— has  great  Influence  with  Mr.  T.  Knox  and  Colonel  Ross — 
much  attended  to  by  the  House — during  Lord  Townshend's 
Administration  He  thought  very  favorably  of  the  Duke  of 
Leinster's  Politicks  and  always  was  in  Opposition — He  sup- 
ported Government  very  handsomely  in  the  Loughswilly  Trial 
before  the  Council  and,  altho'  not  directly  &  on  every  Question, 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  yet  upon  allmost  every  Matter  of 
Importance  He  gave  Lord  Harcourt  a  very  effectual  Support, 
and  was  of  the  utmost  Service  in  carrying  thro'  the  new 
Taxes — His  Excellency  gave  to  his  Nomination  first  a  Living 
of  £120. — He  afterwards  promoted  the  same  Person  to  One 
of  £300. — He  gave  his  Friend,  Mr.  Workman,  in  exchange  for 
the  Collection  of  Dundalk,  an  Employment  in  the  Stamps 
worth  near  ^"300. — a  Clerkship  of  £60.  to  another  Friend— 
and  the  Distributor  of  Stamps  for  the  County  of  Downe — & 
Three  Boatmen  &  One  Tide  waiter  to  his  Recommendation 
—a  Company  to  his  Son,  a  Boy,  in  the  57th — a  Favor  of 
very  great  magnitude. 

Burgh,  William.     BOROUGH  OF  ATHY 

The  Duke  of  Leinster's — a  mere  Spit  Fire — a  pert  peevish 
Boy — His  Fortune  is  much  involved,  and  he  now  lives  in 
England — has  commenced  Author. 

Burton,  William.     B.  OF  NEW  TOWN  LIMAVADY 

Nephew  and  entirely  dependant  on  Lord  Conyngham, 
Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Uncle  the  Linen  Board — a  Living 
of  £400.  to  his  Friend  Dr.  Nesbit — Mr.  Burton  is  very  able  in 
Parliament,  of  strict  Honor,  and  never  Opposed  Lord  Towns- 
hend but  when  obliged  by  express  Directions  from  his  Uncle 
— He  has  been  permitted  &  supported  Lord  Harcourt  with 
great  zeal  &  ability — He  is  Aid  de  Camp  to  His  Excellency 
altho  out  of  the  Army — and  was  lately  appointed  a  Com- 
missioner &  Comptroller  of  the  Barrack  Board  worth  £600. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  9 

His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  the  follow- 
ing Employments  in  the  Revenue. — One  Examiner — 2  Tide- 
waiters — 2  Guagers — One  Hearth  another  Hearth  Money 
Collection  &  Coxwain  of  a  Barge — Supervisor  Stamps  to 
Mr.  Fisher  £70. 

Burton,  Pierpoint.    Co.  OF  CLARE 

Brother  to  William  &  also  Nephew  to  Lord  Conyngham 
—Son  in  Law  to  Mr.  Clements — Lord  Townshend  obtained 
a  Pension  for  his  Wife  of  £600.  and  a  Quartermaster's  Com- 
mission to  his  Friend  Mr.  Finuken — He  lives  chiefly  abroad, 
&  it  is  supposed  will  not  be  returned  for  the  next  Parliament 
— My  Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Recommendation  a  Coast 
Officer's  Employment. 

Blaquiere,  Sir  John.    BOROUGH  OF  LEIGHLIN 
Privy  Counsellor  &  Chief  Secretary. 

Brab[a]zon,  William.    Co.  WICKLOW 

Mr.  Ponsonby's  Connection — Brother  to  Lord  Meath — 
his  Father  lost  his  Pension — always  against. 

Bushe,  Gervas  Parker.    B.  OF  GRANARD 

Lord  Townshend  made  him  a  Commissioner  of  Accounts 
^"500. — Once  an  ingenious  Speaker  against  Government — now 
he  seldom  opens  his  Mouth,  and  when  he  does ;  the  recollec- 
tion of  his  former  Patriotism  choaks  him — much  connected 
with  Mr.  Flood  &  Mr.  Langriche — From  Situation  very 
Independent — His  Conduct  during  the  last  Session  was  at 
best  equivocal,  and  in  one  or  two  Instances  hostile  to 
Government. 

Butler,  John.    B.  OF  NEWCASTLE 

Uncle  to  Lord  Lanesborough — Clerk  of  the  Pipe  for  Life 
;£i2OO.  a  year — Supported  last  Session — Lord  Harcourt  gave 
his  Relation  Mr.  Harris  an  Ensigncy. 

Burton,  William.     Co.  CARLOW 

Nephew  to  Mr.  Ponsonby  and  entirely  in  his  Interest — 
Son  to  the  late  Commissioner  Burton. 


io  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Campbell,  Lord  Fred.     BOROUGH  OF  IRISHTOWN 

Was  Secretary  to  Lord  Townshend — never  will  attend. 

Cane,  Hugh.    BOROUGH  OF  TALLAGH 

Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  5.  Dragoons — Lord  Townshend 
gave  his  Friend  a  sinecure  Living  of  ^150. — a  steady  Friend 
to  Government — He  wants  to  sell  his  Lieutenant  Colonelcy 
and  to  get  a  civil  Employment — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to 
his  Recommendation  i  Examiner — i  Tide  waiter  &  i  Guager. 

Cavendish,  James.     B.  OF  LIFFORD 

Lord  Erne's.  Son  to  Sir  Henry — Collector  of  Dundalk 
^200. 

Carew,  Robert.    BOROUGH  OF  DUNGARVAN 

Has  been  constantly  in  Opposition— much  connected 
with  Mr.  Ponsonby — a  little  with  Lord  Shannon — Lord 
Tyrone  may  perhaps  have  some  Influence  with  him. 

Shapland  Carew.    CITY  OF  WATERFORD 
Father  to  Robert — always  in  Opposition. 

Carleton,  Hugh.    BOROUGH  OF  TUAM 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Townshend — King's 
Council — Son  to  Mr.  Carleton  of  Corke — an  able  sensible 
Man — of  strict  Honor — much  respected  by  Mr.  Waite— 
There  is  a  Shyness  between  him  and  the  Provost  from  his 
Family  Influence  in  Corke — Married  to  Major  Mercer's 
Daughter — a  tolerable  Speaker— much  esteemed  by  the 
Chancellor  as  a  good  Lawyer  and  a  man  of  great  Integrity 
and  Application — He  supported  last  Session  steadily  &  ably 
—He  is  to  have  a  civil  Employment  of  not  less  than  £400. 
for  himself,  or  for  a  Time  will  be  satisfied  if  Serjeant  Hamil- 
ton is  made  a  Judge,  to  be  made  second  or  third  Serjeant— 
His  Object  is  the  Bench — On  the  late  failure  of  his  Father 
at  Corke  Lord  Harcourt  gave  his  Brother  Francis  the  Collec- 
tion of  Athlone  worth  £300. — and  appointed  the  Father 
Agent  for  conducting  the  Embarcation  of  the  Eight  Regi- 
ments lately  sent  to  America. — He  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation Two  Boatmen. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  11 

Carey,  Edward.    Co.  OF  LONDONDERRY 

Privy  Counsellor  —  Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Tyrone  —  in 
general  with  Government  —  on  popular  questions  against  — 
very  Independent  —  sollicitous  not  to  be  thought  biassed  by 
Lord  Tyrone's  Family  —  Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  —  a  Scale  Porter  —  i  Supernumerary  Guager 

—  2  Hearth  Money  Collections. 

Conolly,  Thomas.     Co.  LONDONDERRY 

Privy  Counsellor  —  Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Friend  the 
Deanery  of  Cloger,  Dr.  Woodward,  &  a  Living,  both 
worth  ;£  i,  400.  a  year,  of  which  the  Deanery  is  at  least  £800.  — 
He  also  gave  several  Employments  to  others  in  the  Revenue 

—  made  his  Brother  in  Law,  Mr.  Staples,  a  Commissioner, 
£1,000.  —  gave  him   two  Quartermasters'  Commissions  —  two 
Barrackmasters'  Employments—  gave  a  Deanery  and  Prefer- 
ment to  Dr.  Marley  worth  £850.  —  Lord  Harcourt  gave  £65.  a 
year  to   his   recommendation  for  George  Gavan  —  His   chief 
merit  with  Lord  Townshend  was  his  Support  of  the  Augmen- 
tation, otherwise,  altho  respectable  from  his  Property,  He  is 
so  capricious  &  unsteady,  that  there  is  very  little  dependence 
to  be  had  on  him,  and  in  my  own  opinion  it  would  be  better  for 
Government  that  He  was  a  declared  Oponent  of  its  Measures 
—He   ought  for  his   Behaviour  last   Session   to   have   been 
turned  out   of  the    Council  —  he   has   quarrell'd    with    Lord 
Harcourt  because  His  Excellency  refused  him  the  exclusive 
Nomination  to  all  Revenue  Employments  in  the  Counties  of 
Derry  &    Donegal,  &  rejected   his  Proposal    for   seperating 
the  See  of  Ardagh  from  that  of  Tuam  in  order  to  bring  his 
Friend    Dr.    Woodward   on    the    Bench  —  And   he   has   also 
quarrell'd  with  Sir  John  Blaquiere  merely  on  the  presumption 
that  he  advised  His  Excellency  against  granting  either  of 
these  Propositions  —  he  has  given    to   his    Recommendation 
One  Supernumerary  Guager  —  Coast  Office,  Wicklow, 


Cavendish,  Sir  Henry.     BOROUGH  OF  LISMORE 

Teller  of  the  Exchequer,  a  Baronet  in  1755.—  made  a 
Privy  Counsellor  by  Lord  Townshend,  and  gave  him  a 
Hearth  Money  Collection  for  Mr.  Watts  —  He  was  very 


12  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

steady  in  his  Support  of  Lord  Townshend — He  has  been 
equally  attentive  to  Lord  Harcourt — He  is  a  respectable 
amiable  Man — much  afflicted  with  the  gout,  &  on  that 
account  his  attendance  is  very  uncertain — His  great  Object  is 
to  get  his  Son  James  joined  with  him  in  the  Office  of  Teller 
of  the  Exchequer — He  purchased  a  Seat  for  Son  in  the  last 
Session — Lord  Harcourt  gave  him  the  Collection  of  Dundalk 
worth  £200. — and  made  Watts,  the  Hearth  Money  Collector,  a 
Supervisor  £6$.  also  gave  to  Lady  Cavendish  a  Supernumerary 
Guager — and  Mate  of  the  Cruizing  Barge,  Kinsale. 

Caulfield,  Francis.    B.  OF  CHARLEMONT 

His  Brother  made  a  Earl  in  1763 — They  both  constantly 
opposed  Lord  Townshend — Towards  the  middle  of  last 
Session,  Mr.  Caulfield  shewed  some  Disposition  to  support 
Government — He  is  very  poor  and  greatly  embarrass'd  in  his 
Circumstances. 

Caulfield,  William.     B.  OF  TULSK 

Collector  of  Donaghadee,  worth  .£200. — Gentleman  of  the 
Bed-Chamber — a  steady  and  certain  vote  for  Government  upon 
all  occasions — Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Recommendation  a 
Hearth  Money  Collection — since  dismiss'd,  and  ought  to  have 
been  hang'd. 

Chichester,  John.    CITY  OF  CARRICKFERGUS 
Brother  to  Lord  Donegall — never  has  attended. 

Chapman,  Benjamin.    BOROUGH  OF  FORE 

Came  into  Parliament  last  Session — a  Lawyer — does  not 
want  ability — very  violent  in  opposition,  Speaks  very  often, 
and  is  pretty  well  heard — He  is  Nephew  to  Mr.  Clements,  but 
in  his  politicks  totally  unconnected  with  him. 

Clement,  William.     CITY  OF  DUBLIN 

Vice  Provost  of  the  College,  always  against  and  an 
oponent  of  the  Provost. 

Clements,  Robert.    BOROUGH  OF  CARRICK 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — was  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Revenue  but  removed  on  the  reuniting  of  the  Boards— He 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  13 

refused  his  Pension  of  £600.,  and  affected  to  be  offended 
because  there  had  not  been  an  earlier  communication  with 
him  upon  that  measure — He  is  a  peevish,  Shy,  retired  Man, 
a  bad  attender,  and  the  Father  pretends  on  some  occasions 
that  he  cannot  influence  him.  Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his 
Recommendation  2  Boatmen — i  Tide  waiter,  and  One  Coast 
Officer. 

Theo.  Clements.    BOROUGH  OF  CAVAN 

Second  Son  to  Mr.  Clements — Agent  to  the  Regiments 
paid  by  Ireland  serving  abroad,  worth  £800.  a  year — He 
wants  to  be  joined  with  his  Father  as  Deputy  Vice  Treasurer 
—Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  Two 
Tidewaiters  &  3  Supernumerary  Guagers. 

Clements,  Nathaniel.    Co.  LEITRIM 

Privy  Counsellor — Deputy  Vice  Treasurer — Ranger  of 
the  Phoenix  Park — Searcher  of  Dublin — Paymaster  of  the 
Pensions — Lord  Townshend  gave  him  many  small  Employ- 
ments in  the  Revenue — He  attends  and  Supports  constantly 
—Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  i  Boat- 
man— 3  Tidewaiters — i  Hearth  Money  Collection — Dis- 
tributor Stamps,  Co.  Leitrim. 

Coddington,  Dixie.    BOROUGH  OF  DUNLEER 

Nephew  to  Judge  Tennison — much  connected  with  Mr. 
Ponsonby — constantly  Opposed  Lord  Townshend — During 
the  last  Session  He  was  as  mark'd  in  his  Support  of  Lord 
Harcourt — He  is  independant  of  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Colclough,  Vesey.    Co.  OF  WEXFORD 

Much  connected  with  Lord  Ely,  but  always  in  Oppo- 
sition. 

Coghlan,  Thomas.    BOROUGH  OF  BANAGHER 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — has  been  very  steady  & 
zealous  in  his  Support — Lord  Harcourt  made  him  Store- 
keeper of  the  Ordnance,  and  gave  to  his  Recommendation 
5  Supernumerary  Guagers,  &  Distributor  of  Stamps,  King's 
County. 


14  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Colthurst,  Sir  John.     BOROUGH  OF  CASTLEMARTYR 
A  Baronet  in  1744.     Lord  Shannon's  Friend. 

Conway,  Robert.    BOROUGH  OF  LISBURNE 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  Leave  for  him  to  purchase 
a  Troop  over  the  Lieutenants  in  the  Regiment — and  to 
Lord  Harcourt's  Recommendation  He  owes  a  Majority  of 
Horse  without  Purchase.  Second  Son  to  Lord  Hertford — 
attended  pretty  constantly  last  Session. 

Cooper,  Joshua.     Co.  SLIGO 

Independant  Gent,  of  considerable  Fortune — connected 
in  the  County  Interests  with  Owen  Wynne — He  almost 
constantly  Opposed  Lord  Townshend — great  part  of  last 
Session  and  towards  the  close  of  it  He  supported  Lord 
Harcourt,  &  without  any  Terms. 

Coote,  Guy  Moore.     BOROUGH  OF  CLONMELL 

He  had  a  Pension  of  £200. — Lord  Townshend  obtained 
for  him  £200.  more — still  wants  an  addition — must  Sup- 
port from  Situation  —  His  Daughter  is  married  to  Mr. 
Cavendish. 

Coppinger,  Maurice.     B.  OF  ARDFERT 

King's  Council  &  second  Serjeant  at  Law — connected 
with  Lord  Crosbie,  Sir  Henry  Cavendish,  and  Mr.  Mason— 
a  very  moderate  Speaker — seldom  takes  in  [sic  any  ?]  part  in 
Debate. 

Crosbie,  Launcelot.     BOROUGH  OF  ARDFERT 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Crosbie — has  Sup- 
ported steadily.  . 

Corry,  Armor  Lowry.     Co.  TYRONE 

North  Country  Gentleman  —  seeks  Popularity  —  very 
Independant — always  against. 

Cotter,  Sir  James.     B.  OF  TAGHMON 

His  Father  made  a  Baronet  in  1763 — Hitherto  in  Oppo- 
sition but  not  likely  to  continue — a  sensible  young  man  of 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  15 

very  independent  Property — He  made  one  tolerable  Speech 
— did  not  attend  last  Session. 

Cramer,  John.     B.  OF  BELTURBET 

Returned  by,  and  acts  with  his  Relation  Lord  Lanes- 
borough. 

Creighton,  Abraham.    BOROUGH  OF  LIFFORD 

Lieutenant  on  half  Pay — Brother  to  Lord  Erne — He 
opposed  constantly  last  Session,  and  was  generally  against 
during  Lord  Townshend's  Administration. 

Crofton,  Sir  Marcus.     B.  OF  RATOATH 

Made  a  Baronet  in  1758 — wants  to  have  his  Son  made 
an  Aid  de  Camp — a  very  wavering  Man  and  against 
Government  when  he  can't  advantage  himself  by  supporting 
it — He  did  not  attend  last  Session. 

Croker,  John.    BOROUGH  OF  FETHARD 

Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Son  an  Ensigncy — He  is  much 
connected  with  Sir  Henry  Cavendish — very  unsteady  in  his 
Support — never  to  be  depended  on. 

Cuffe,  James.    Co.  MAYO 

Made  a  Commissioner  of  Barracks  by  Lord  Townshend 
.£400 — attends  pretty  constantly — Cousin  to  Lord  Arran — 
Mr.  Connolly  &  Lord  Annaly  have  great  influence  with 
him — He  is  not  less  perplex'd  and  embarrass'd  in  his 
Circumstances  than  he  is  by  his  Wife  and  Miss  Weiwitzer. 

Cunninghame,  Robert.     B.  OF  MONAGHAN 

Colonel  of  the  5Oth  Regiment — Governor  of  Kinsale, 
£400 — a  Quarter  Master's  Commission  to  his  Friend — 
Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Clermont — He  voted  against  the 
Division  of  the  Boards,  and  on  other  critical  Questions  in 
Lord  Townshend's  Administration  voted  &  spoke  against 
Government — affects  Independance  &  great  Consequence  in 
Parliament.  His  Conduct  in  the  Duke  of  Bedford's  Admini- 
stration was  very  severely  censured  by  that  Nobleman  in  his 
Correspondence  with  the  then  Secretary  of  State  as  a  most 


16  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

ungratefull  Man  to  the  Crown — In  the  last  Session  he  de- 
serted &  betrayed  Lord  Harcourt  upon  the  great  point,  the 
reconsideration  of  the  Absentee  Tax,  altho  he  had  been 
particularly  &  confidentially  spoken  to  not  only  by  Sir 
John  Blaquiere  &  Mr.  Lees,  but  even  by  His  Excellency  in 
person — His  Support  of  Government  upon  that  occasion 
was  consider'd  as  certain — He  spoke  violently  against  the 
Castle — His  Expression  of  Wheeling  Cock  will  not  easily  be 
forgot — His  Conduct  upon  that  occasion  was  so  mark'd, 
unprovok'd,  &  violent  that  He  ought  to  have  been  instantly 
dismissed  from  his  Regiment  and  Government.  Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  the  Coast 
Officer  of  Wicklow  for  Mr.  Archer — and  the  Purchase  of  a 
Company  to  his  Friend  Lieutenant  Murray  out  of  his  Regi- 
ment at  the  Reg[ulated(?)]  Price. 

Curry,  Edward.    BOROUGH  OF  NEWRY 
A  New  Member  and  in  Opposition. 

Daly,  Dennis.     Co.  GALWAY 

Nephew  to  Mr.  Malone  &  Lord  Ross — Independent  and 
a  very  rising  young  Man  in  Parliament — has  been  generally 
in  Opposition — Mr.  Malone  affects  but  has  very  little  Influ- 
ence with  him — He  is  much  attach'd  to  Sir  John  Blaquiere. 

Daly,  Anthony.    BOROUGH  OF  GALWAY 
Acts  with  Dennis  Daly. 

Darner,  John.    BOROUGH  OF  SWORDS 

Formerly  Commissioner  of  Appeals — Nephew  to  Lord 
Milton — Steady  in  his  Support — In  the  last  Session  from 
the  Ommissions  and  Alterations  made  on  the  other  side  the 
Water  in  the  Money  Bill  it  was  judged  necessary,  and 
Government  acquiesced  in  having  it  rejected  on  its  return 
hither,  at  the  same  time  His  Excellency  not  chusing  that  it 
should  be  thrown  out  nem.  con.,  Mr.  Darner  voluntarily  gave 
his  Negative,  for  which  Service  he  has  been  removed  from 
the  Appeals  to  the  Board  of  Accounts — He  is  a  very  amiable 
worthy  Man,  greatly  respected  &  lives  much  with  the 
Attorney  General. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  17 

Dawson,  John.  QUEEN'S  COUNTY 

Eldest  Son  to  Lord  Dawson  who  was  made  a  Peer  by 
Lord  Townshend — generally  steady — his  Father  has  ask'd  a 
Civil  Employment  for  his  second  Son  whom  he  has  brought 
into  Parliament  in  the  room  of  the  late  Sir  T.  Butler. 

Deane,  Sir  Robert.    B.  OF  CARIESFORT 

Connected  &  acts  with  Lord  Shannon — His  object  is  a 
Peerage. 

Deane,  Joseph.    Co.  DUBLIN 

Attach'd  to  Popularity,  and  somewhat  to  Mr.  Ponsonby. 
Lord  Tyrone  has  some  little  Influence  with  him — has  been 
constantly  in  Opposition. 

Deane,  Jocelyn.    B.  OF  BALTIMORE 

Col.  Tonson's.  Attach'd  very  much  to  his  Brother  Sir 
Robert,  and  both  follow  Lord  Shannon. 

Dennis,  James.     B.  OF  YOUGHALL 

Prime  Serjeant — an  ungracefull  but  tolerable  Speaker  in 
Parliament — a  good  Lawyer — has  great  Property — a  Man  of 
excellent  Character — devoted  to  &  beloved  by  Lord  Shannon 
—His  object  is  the  Seat  of  Chief  Baron  of  the  Exchequer — 
Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  two  Hearth 
Money  Collections. 

Denny,  Barry.     Co.  KERRY 

Lord  Townshend  gave  his  youngest  Brother  a  Living  of 
£800  a  year — Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Recommendation 
the  office  of  Coast  Supervisor  of  Kerry — He  attended  very 
little  last  Session — His  brother  Edward  who  represented 
Trallee  shot  himself  a  few  Months  ago — He  has  a  large 
Estate  but  dreadfully  incumber'd,  and  in  private  Life  of  an 
exceeding  bad  Character — It  is  uncertain  whether  he  will  be 
returned  for  the  next  Parliament 

Devonshire,  James.     B.  RATHCORMICK 

Connected  with  Lord  Shannon — wont  come  in  again 
for  this  Borough,  and  probably  will  not  be  in  the  next 

C 


i8  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Parliament — Mr.  Tonson  has  purchased  the  Estate  to  which 
this  Borough  belongs. 

Digby,  Simon.     B.  OF  KILDARE 
Entirely  the  Duke  of  Leinster's. 

Dobbs,  Conway  Richard.     CARRICKFERGUS 

Connected  with  Lord  Hertford — Son  to  the  late  Governor 
of  North  Carolina — seldom  Supports, 

Dillon,  John.     B.  OF  WICKLOW 

Lord  Townshend  at  his  Request  gave  a  Living  of  £300 
to  his  Friend  Mr.  Preston — Independent — generally  supports 
—Preston  is  married  to  a  Sister  of  Jack  Hamilton's — Mr. 
Dillon  is  much  attach'd  to  Sir  John  Blaquiere — Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation — i  Super- 
numerary Guager — i  Quay  Porter,  and  One  Land  Carriage 
Officer. 

Dunbar,  Geo.     B.  OF  THOMASTOWN 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  for  him  a  Pension  of  ^200.  a 
year — brought  in  by  Mr.  Agar — formerly  married  to  Mr. 
Ellis's  Sister  &  Mr.  Agar's  Mother  —  a  steady  little  Man 
and  a  dead  Voice  on  all  occasions. 

Dunbar,  Chas.     B.  OF  BLESSINGTON 

Lord  Townshend  gave  a  Living  of  £300.  to  his  Friend — 
very  Independant — seldom  attends.  Connected  with  Lord 
Hillsborough  —  Lord  Harcourt  gave  at  his  Request  an 
Ensigncy. 

Dunluce,  Lord.     Co.  ANTRIM 

His  Father  Governor  of  the  County — Lord  Townshend 
gave  his  Tutor,  Mr.  Winder,  the  Excise  Collection  of  Corke, 
worth  £300.,  and  afterwards  opposed  violently — an  idle  un- 
steady young  Man — not  to  be  depended  upon.  Lord  Harcourt 
gave  to  his  Recommendation  a  Supernumerary  Guager. 

Dawson,  Joseph.    B,  OF  PORTARLINGTON 
Son  to  Lord  Dawson  &  Supported  Steadily. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  19 

Earbery,  Mathias.     B.  OF  LANESBOROUGH 

Made  Collector  of  Wicklow  by  Lord  Townshend.  Con- 
nected with  the  Provost — purchased  his  Seat — has  supported 
Steadily — It  is  imagined  He  will  not  be  in  the  next  Parlia- 
met — He  sollicits,  and  the  Provost  is  very  earnest  that  he 
should  obtain,  the  Contract  for  the  Light  Houses  to  be  esta- 
blished on  the  Coast  of  Wicklow. 

Falkiner,  Rigs.    B.  OF  CLONIKELTY 

Lord  Shannon  returns  him — a  Banker  in  Corke. 

Fetherston,  Ralph.     B.  OF  ST.  JOHNSTOWN 

Was  made  a  Surveyor  General  by  Lord  Townshend — 
reduced  upon  the  re-uniting  of  the  Boards  — has  a  Pension, 
in  lieu,  of  £300. — has  ask'd  to  be  made  a  Baronet  which  my 
Lord  Lieutenant  has  promised  to  recommend — His  Excel- 
lency gave  to  his  Recommendation  a  Hearth  Money  Col- 
lection. 

Fitzgerald,  Maurice.     B.  DINGLE  ICOUCH 

Made  a  Surveyor  General  by  Lord  Townshend — re- 
duced upon  re-uniting  the  Boards — received  a  Pension,  in 
lieu,  of  ^300. — has  two  Seats  in  Parliament — weak,  entirely 
under  the  Government  of  his  wife — Lord  Harcourt  has 
given  to  his  Recommendation  one  Tidewaiter. 

Fitzgerald,  Robert.     B.  DINGLE  ICOUCH 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  his  Cousin  Maurice — Judge 
ot  the  Admiralty  £400. — Commissioner  of  Appeals  £300. — 
Comptroller  of  Dingle  with  an  additional  Salary  of  £400. — 
Lord  Townshend  gave  him  a  Living  of  £500.  for  one  Nephew — 
£200.  to  another — Ensigncy  to  a  third — and  He  recommended 
an  additional  Sallary  to  him  as  Commissioner  of  Appeals  of 
£300. — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  him  a  Hearth  Money  Col- 
lection for  One  Friend,  accommodated  him  with  a  Move  for 
another — gave  him  a  Seat  at  the  Linen  Board — He  speaks 
very  seldom  in  the  House,  when  he  does  but  very  moderately — 
his  chief  Merit  is  that  he  attends  when  he  is  desired — He 
now  wants  additional  Emolument  either  by  additional  Salary 

C  2 


20  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

to  the  Offices  he  now  holds  or  by  new  Creation,  whether  by 
Place  or  Pension  it  mattereth  not — Lord  Harcourt  has  given 
to  his  Recommendation  3  Tidewaiters — 2  Guagers  and  One 
Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Fitzgerald,  Gerald.     B.  OF  HARRISTON 

Entirely  devoted  to  the  Duke  of  Leinster.     Dead. 

Fitzgerald,  Richard.     B.  OF  BOYLE 

Has  a  Pension  of  £200. — wants  to  be  of  the  Privy  Council- 
was  formerly  a  Gentleman  Usher  and  married  a  Rich  Widow 
whose  daughter  is  now  married  to  Lord  Kington's  Eldest 
Son — Lord  Townshend  promised  and  actually  obtained  the 
King's  Letter,  which  is  now  in  my  Custody  for  appointing 
him  of  the  Council,  but  his  Character  was  found  so  ex- 
ceptionable, and  he  himself  so  very  proud  &  impracticable, 
his  Lordship  withheld  it  —  These  last  two  Sessions  he 
opposed. 

Fitzgibbon,  John.    B.  OF  JAMESTOWN 

A  Lawyer  of  great  Eminence — generally  in  Opposition 
and  yet  will  ask  great  Favours  at  the  most  critical  Time — 
Connected  with  Lord  Tyrone  on  particular  Occasions,  and 
for  himself  thro'  the  Session  at  large — One  Daughter  married 
to  Lord  Tyrone's  Brother  the  Clergyman,  the  other  to  Mr. 
Jeffereyes. — It  is  believed  he  will  not  be  in  the  next  Parlia- 
ment. 

Forde,  Mathew.     B.  OF  DOWNPATRICK 

Independant  Country  Gentleman  of  the  North — uncon- 
nected and  always  in  Opposition. 

Flood,  Henry.    B.  OF  CALLEN 

Formerly  the  Engineer  &  Mouthpiece  of  Opposition — 
Impracticable  in  his  Conduct  in  Parliament  where  he  does 
not  entirely  lead — in  private  Life  held  in  Abhorrence  & 
Detestation  by  All  Men  of  Integrity  &  Truth— When  Lord 
Harcourt  arrived  he  affected  Candour  &  promised  Support — 
Upon  some  important  Questions  during  the  last  Session  he 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  21 

supported,  upon  others  equally  material  to  Government  he 
kept  away — In  consequence  of  this  Conduct  an  Expectation 
of  some  very  considerable  Employment  was  held  out  to  him. 
It  amounted  to  what  he  consider'd  a  Promise  of  the  first 
that  became  vacant — Upon  the  death  of  the  late  Provost  the 
Office  of  Alnager  worth  £900.  and  an  Additional  Sallary  to 
it  of  ;£i,ooo.  was  offered — which  He  refused,  declaring  that 
Government  had  broken  faith  with  him  by  the  disposal  of  the 
Provost,  and  resorted  to  his  original  Request,  the  Office  of 
One  of  the  Vice  Treasurers  or  nothing — Sir  John  Blaquiere 
has  been  solliciting  this  Employment  for  him  these  twelve 
Months  past — Lord  Harcourt  early  in  the  last  Session  offer'd 
him  a  Cornetcy  for  a  Friend  which  he  declined — He  gave  to 
his  Recommendation  One  Hearth  Money  Collection — The 
Distributor  of  Stamps  for  the  County  of  Kilkenny — Super- 
visor of  Hearth  Money  £60. 

Flood,  John,  junr.    B.  OF  CALLEN 

Cousin  to  Henry  and  Acts  entirely  with  him. 

Flood,  Warden.    B.  OF  LONGFORD 

A  Follower  of  Mr.  Henry  Flood's,  and  with  as  much 
Violence  but  less  Parts — his  object  is  to  be  Counsellor  to 
the  Commissioners  of  the  Revenue. 

Fortescue,  James.    Co.  LOWTH 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Privy  Counsellor — wants 
to  be  in  remainder  to  his  Brother  Lord  Clermont's  Peerage— 
a  miserable  Speaker — does  not  want  Understanding — Inde- 
pendant,  the  greatest  Jobber  in  Ireland — during  the  last 
Session  He  opposed  upon  some  very  critical  Questions,  for 
which  he  ought  to  have  been  dismiss'd  the  Council — Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation — 2  Boatmen — 
I  Tidewaiter — i  Supernumerary  Guager — 2  Coast  Officers. 

Fortescue,  Thomas.    B.  OF  TRIM 

Cousin  to  Lord  Clermont — Nephew  to  Lord  Mornington 
by  whom  he  is  brought  into  Parliament — Opposed  Lord 
Townshend — he  supported  Lord  Harcourt. 


22  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Foster,  John.    Co.  LOWTH 

Eldest  Son  to  the  Chief  Barron — a  very  rising  young 
Man  in  the  Law  and  in  Parliament — Is  very  often  with 
Government,  but  being  Member  for  a  County,  sometimes 
tho'  very  seldom  quits  it  on  popular  Questions — Lord 
Townshend  gave  a  Living  of  £400.  to  his  Brother — made 
his  Relation  Mr.  Sibthorpe  Judge  of  Kilmainham,  and  gave 
a  Living  of  £200.  to  his  Friend,  Dr.  Norris. 

Fownes,  Sir  William.     B.  OF  KNOCKTOPHER 

Searcher  of  Corke  ;£i,ooo.  a  year  for  Life- — of  large 
Property  and  independant  but  connected  with  and  entirely 
devoted  to  Mr.  Ponsonby — during  the  last  Session  He  did 
not  attend  Parliament. 

Freake,  Sir  John.     B.  OF  BALTIMORE 

Made  a  Baronet  by  Lord  Townshend  and  ask'd  two 
other  Favours — seldom  attended — Brother  in  Law  to  Lord 
Arran — When  he  did  attend  last  Session  He  opposed — a 
very  silly  uncertain  Character  and  never  to  be  depended  on. 

French,  Robert.     B.  OF  GALWAY 

Made  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  by  Lord  Townshend 
—an  able  &  much  respected  Member  of  Parliament — 
Independant — Moderate,  and  deserves  particular  Notice. 

French,  John.     Co.  OF  ROSCOMMON 

Lord  Townshend  gave  a  Deanery  to  his  Uncle  and  an 
Ensigncy  to  his  Nephew — Connected  with  Lord  Annaly  and 
Lord  Kingston — was  not  very  steady  to  Lord  Townshend — 
To  Lord  Harcourt  he  has  been  very  zealous — His  Excellency 
has  given  to  his  Recommendation  i  Tidewaiter — One  Super- 
numerary Guager,  &  3  Hearth  Money  Collections. 

Gardiner,  Luke.     Co.  DUBLIN 

A  Gentleman  of  large  Property — profess'd  great  Attach- 
ment to  Government,  but  voted  against  the  Castle  upon 
every  material  Question  last  Session — His  objects  are  the 
Peerage  of  Lovejoy  [sic]  &  a  Seat  in  the  Council — Lord 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  23 

Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  a  Lieutenancy 
to  his  Brother  Robert  without  Purchase. 

Gamble,  William.    B.  BALLYSHANNON 

Cousin  to  the  late  Provost — Lord  Townshend  made  him 
a  Commissioner  of  the  Barrack  Board  £400. — And  obtained 
the  Agency  to  the  Archbishop  of  Dublin  for  his  Son — Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  recommendation  i  Supernumerary 
Guager — I  Hearth  Money  Collection — Clerk  in  the  Custom- 
house £60.,  and  his  youngest  Son  is  Collector  of  Killybegs 
worth  £200. 

Gisborne,  James.    B.  OF  LISMORE 

A  Regiment  of  Foot — Governor  of  Charlemont  worth 
£800. — and  a  Major  General  on  the  Staff— An  able  Speaker 
on  Parade  days,  but  very  infirm  &  seldom  attends. 

Gore,  Richard.    B.  OF  DONEGALL 

Made  a  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue  by  Lord  Towns- 
hend and  for  his  very  equivocal  Conduct  was  turned  out — 
Brother  to  Lord  Sudley — Opposed  the  Division  of  the 
Boards — a  contemptible  weak  man — He  seldom  attended 
last  Session — when  he  did  attend  He  opposed. 

Gore,  William.     Co.  OF  LEITRIM 

Lord  Townshend  gave  a  Place  of  £100.  to  his  Friend — 
Like  the  other  Gores  who  are  in  Parliament,  very  uncertain 
—Lord  Harcourt  soon  after  his  arrival  gave  a  Hearth  Money 
Collection  to  his  Recommendation — He  opposed  during  the 
last  Session. 

Gore,  Henry.    Co.  LONGFORD 

Examinator  of  the  Customs  worth  £goo.  a  year — Brother 
to  Lord  Annaly — 111  health — peevish,  and  uncertain  in  his 
Support — during  the  last  Session  He  did  not  attend.  Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  2  Supernumerary 
Guagers. 

Gorges,  Richard.    B.  OF  ENNISKILLEN 

Son  to  Ham.  Gorge[s]  and  Cousin  to  Lord  Tyrone — a  very 
good  Speaker  when  prepared — Apt  to  be  out  of  Humour — 


24  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

lately  married  to  a  Miss  Meredyth,  whose  Name  he  has  now 
taken,  with  a  considerable  Fortune. 

Graydon,  Robert.     B.  OF  HARRISTOWN 

Devoted  to  the  Duke  of  Leinster — makes  long  Speeches 
—very  ill  heard. 

Grogan,  Cornelius.     B.  OF  ENNISCORTHY 

Always  against — Lord  Ely  and  Mr.  Vesey  Colclough  are 
supposed  to  have  some  Influence  with  him. 

Hall,  Roger.     Co.  DOVVNE 

Father  in  Law  to  Mr.  Brownlowe — Cousin  to  the  Duke 
of  Leinster  &  to  Lord  Hillsborough — moderate  Property— 
has  always  been  in  Opposition. 

Hamilton,  George.     B.  OF  BELFAST 

,£200.  a  year  for  his  Light  House  at  Bellbriggan  [sic] — 
brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Donegal — turned  over  by  his 
Lordship  to  Mr.  Ponsonby's  Party,  with  whom  he  drew 
during  Lord  Townshend's  Administration — Made  his  Peace 
with  Lord  Harcourt,  whom  he  has  supported  very  steadily 
&  zealously — His  Excellency  made  him  3rd  Serjeant,  and 
has  given  him  an  Expectation  of  a  Seat  on  the  Bench — A 
Sensible  Man — a  good  Lawyer,  and  of  good  Character,  but  a 
very  tedious  disagreeable  Speaker  and  ill  heard  in  the 
House — He  is  a  King's  Council. 

Hamilton,  Henry.     BOROUGH  OF  KILLYBEGS 

Recommended  by  Lord  Townshend  for  a  Baronetcy — 
ask'd  it  after  all  was  over — This  Rank  has  been  obtained 
for  him  by  Lord  Harcourt — He  has  supported  both  Admini- 
strations very  steadily  and  may  be  thoroughly  depended  on 
for  what  he  says — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation a  Hearth  Money  Collection  to  his  Agent. 

Hamilton,  John.     B.  OF  STRABANE 

Returned  by  Lord  Abercorn,  but  will  not  come  in  again— 
has  been  always  against. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  25 

Hamilton,  Claudius.     B.  OF  STRABANE 

Always  against — Spoke  once  in  a  drunken  dream — Lord 
Harcourt  gave  a  Supernumerary  Guager  to  his  Friend. 

Handcock,  William.     B.  OF  ATHLONE 

Collector  of  Trim  £300. — Connected  with  Mr.  Ponsonby 
but  supports  Government  to  save  himself — Lord  Harcourt 
gave  a  Supernumerary  Guager  to  his  Recommendation. 

Hatch,  John.     B.  OF  SWORDS 

Had  leave  by  Lord  Townshend  at  the  Request  of  the 
late  Provost  &  Mr.  Ponsonby  to  sell  his  Employment  of 
Secretary  to  the  Revenue — Lord  Palmerston  is  his  particular 
Friend — Connected  with  Mr.  Ponsonby — Mr.  Mason  &  Mr. 
Darner  have  considerable  Influence  with  him,  but  not  so  far 
as  to  make  him  either  gratefull  to  the  Crown  or  to  support 
its  measures. 

Hellen,  Robert.     B.  OF  BANNAU  [BANNOW] 

His  Wife  has  a  Pension  of  £100. — Council  to  the  Excise 
worth  ;£i,ooo. — brought  in  by  Lord  Ely  and  entirely  attach'd 
to  him — a  sensible  man,  and  when  prepared  on  State  Days, 
speaks  well — Lord  Harcourt  gave  his  Friend  Mr.  Daniel  a 
Clerk's  place  in  the  Stamp  Office  £60.  a  year. 

Henry,  Joseph.     B.  OF  KILDARE 
Entirely  the  Duke  of  Leinster's. 

Hill,  Hugh.    LONDONDERRY 

Collector  of  Derry  £500  a  year — related  to  Lord  Tyrone 
— supports  from  Situation — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  Three  Boatmen — Two  Tidewaiters — an- 
other Tidewaiter — and  a  Quay  Tidewaiter — a  Hearth  Money 
Collection  and  a  Coast  Officer. 

Hoare,  Edward.     B.  OF  CARLOW 

A  Lawyer,  Son  to  Joseph  Hoare  of  Askeyton — brought 
in  by  Mr.  William  Burton,  Mr.  Ponsonby's  Nephew,  with 
whom  He  is  entirely  connected — Lord  Townshend  gave  his 
Son  Leave  to  purchase  a  Troop. 


26  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Hoare,  Joseph.     B.  OF  ASKEYTON 

Father  of  Edward — Weigh-master  of  Corke,  given  by  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Revenue  under  an  Act  of  Parliament, 
for  Life  worth  £800  a  year. 

Hyde,  John.     Co.  CORKE 

Married  to  a  Niece  of  Mr.  Ponsonby's — attached  to  & 
goes  with  Lord  Shannon. 

Holmes,  Peter.     B.  OF  BANAGHER 

Connected  by  Marriage  with  Sir  Henry  Cavendish  and 
Mr.  Prittee — of  good  Fortune — has  half  the  Borough  of 
Banagher — Supported  Government  well — a  very  sensible 
Man — fit  for  office  and  one  of  the  first  Lord  Townshend 
would  have  provided  for — He  has  been  equally  zealous  in 
support  of  Lord  Harcourt — His  Excellency  made  him 
Comptroller  of  the  Stamp  Office,  and  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  Clerk  in  the  Stamp  Office — a  Distributor 
of  Stamps  to  his  Friend  Mr.  L'Estrange,  and  His  Excellency 
and  Sir  John  Blaquiere  made  that  Gentleman  a  Present  of 
One  hundred  Guineas  each — His  Excellency  gave  him  Two 
hundred  Guineas. 

Hutchinson,  John  Heley.     CITY  OF  CORKE 

Prime  Serjeant  £1,200. — Privy  Counsellor — Alnager^QOO. 
—additional  Salary  £1,000. — Reversion  Secretary  of  State 
£1,800. — Reversion  to  his  Son  of  2nd  Remembrancer  £800.— 
His  Brother  in  Law  Comptroller  of  the  Board  of  Works  £300. 
— Another  Brother  in  Law,  Duquery  [Duqueruy],  a  Pension 
of  £200.  and  Surveyor  on  the  Quay  of  Dublin  £500.  by  Lord 
Townshend — also  Two  Ensigncies  and  many  small  Favours 
in  the  Revenue  for  his  Friends  at  Corke — a  Deanery  to  his 
Sons'  Tutor,  Mr.  Bond,  and  a  Recommendation  of  him  to  the 
Bishop  of  Ferns  for  a  Living  of  not  less  than  £300 — His 
Wife  recommended  by  Lord  Townshend  for  a  Peerage — He 
opposed  Lord  Townshend— afterwards  made  his  Bargain 
and  supported  ably  and  zealously,  holding  however  Sir 
George  Macartney  in  Fetters,  and  at  Times  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  necessity  of  the  moment  to  carry  his  Point — 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  27 

During  the  last  Session  he  behaved  handsomely  and 
Steadily,  Sir  John  Blaquiere  taking  the  principal  Lead  him- 
self and  holding  a  very  tight  Rein  over  this  Gentleman — On 
the  late  Provost's  Death,  He  was  appointed  Provost — 
Resigned  the  Prime  Searjentcy  and  the  Alnage,  but  in  lieu 
of  the  additional  Sallary  of  ^1,000.  tack'd  to  that  office,  He 
obtained  the  office  of  Customer  of  Strangford  with  an  addi- 
tional Sallary  of  £1,000.  to  him  and  three  of  his  Sons — Lord 
Harcourt  has  also  given  One  of  them  a  Cornetcy — To  his 
Friend  Dr.  Foresyth  the  Living  of  Kilcock  worth  £300. — At 
his  Request  Allowed  the  Clerk  of  the  Permits  at  Corke  to 
resign  his  Employment  to  a  Friend  worth  £150. — and  has 
given  a  number  of  small  Employments  in  the  Revenue  to 
his  Recommendation — He  is  still  dissatisfied  and  ever  will 
untill  He  engrosses  the  Station  of  Primate,  Chancellor,  Lord 
Chief  Justice  of  the  King's  Bench,  Provost  etc.  etc.  etc.  in 
his  own  Person — He  has  named  to  Three  Guagers — Three 
Tidewaiters — a  Hearth  Money  Collection — Clerk  of  the  Iron 
Yard,  Corke — his  Clerk  is  Hearth  Money  Collector — his 
Butler  a  walking  officer — Mr.  Waller  his  Brother  in  Law 
Solicitor  of  the  Stamp  Office  £200. — He  named  the  Dis- 
tributor of  Stamps,  Co.  Tipperary,  and  on  his  Recommenda- 
tion &  request  His  Excellency  translated  the  Bishop  of 
Elphin  to  the  Archbishoprick  of  Tuam  £4, 200.  a  year. 

Howard,  Hugh.    BOROUGH  OF  JOHNSTOWN 

Brother  to  the  Member  for  the  County  of  Wicklow  and 
acts  with  him. 

Howard,  Ralph.    Co.  WICKLOW 

Privy  Counsellor — Recommended  by  Lord  Townshend 
for  a  Peerage — Steady  to  Government — has  a  large  Property 
— He  and  his  Brother  Support  very  handsomely. 

Hull,  William,  now  Tonson.     B.  OF  TUAM 

Lieutenant  Governor  of  Corke — an  unsteady  turbulent 
character — not  to  be  secured  by  any  office,  his  Father  having 
lately  died  &  left  him  £  12,000  a  year — Opposes  Lord 
Shannon  in  the  County  of  Corke  &  everywhere  else — much 
connected  with  Mr.  Jeffereyes — He  has  lately  purchased  the 


28  THE   IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Rathcormick  Estate  &  Borough,  and  it  is  imagined  will 
throw  out  Mr.  Devonshire  and  return  both  Members— 
During  the  last  Session  he  seldom  attended. 

Hussey,  Walter.    BOROUGH  OF  ATHY 

A  Lawyer  in  great  Estimation — a  very  able  ingenius  [sic] 
Speaker  in  Parliament — amiable  in  private  Life  and  univer- 
sally beloved — He  is  returned  by,  and  has  hitherto  con- 
ducted the  Duke  of  Leinster's  Squadron — He  is  now  shaking 
off  those  Fetters  and  is  a  Candidate  for  the  College. 

Jackson,  Richard.     B.  OF  COLERAINE 

Clerk  of  the  Paper  Office  worth  ^300 — an  additional 
Sallary  obtained  by  Lord  Townshend  of  £300  more — He 
was  Ulster  Secretary  to  his  Lordship,  Lord  Bristol  and  Lord 
Hertford — desired  to  quit  that  office  on  Lord  Harcourt's 
appointment,  proposing  at  the  same  time  to  be  of  the  Privy 
Council — a  sensible  man  and  of  very  strict  Integrity — never 
speaks  in  the  House — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  One  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Jones,  Theo.     BOROUGH  OF  COLERAINE 

Privy  Council — Collector  of  Dublin  £900 — married  a 
Sister  of  Lady  Clermont's — is  Candidate  for  the  County  of 
Leitrim — a  Steady  Friend  &  a  very  amiable  man — He  wants 
an  additional  Sallary  to  his  office — Lord  Harcourt  has  given 
to  his  Recommendation  Three  Boatmen — I  Tidewaiter — 2 
Supernumerary  Guagers — I  Hearth  Money  Collection — per- 
mitted his  Son  a  very  young  Ensign  to  purchase  a  Lieu- 
tenancy in  the  63rd  Regiment. 

Jeffereyes,  St.  John.    BOROUGH  OF  MIDDLETON 

Was  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Corke,  on  resigning  which 
made  by  Lord  Townshend  a  Commissioner  of  Accounts — a 
Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — a  fluctuating  little  Gentleman, 
held  steady  &  in  awe  only  by  his  appointments — married 
to  a  Daughter  of  Counsellor  Fitzgibbon's — much  connected 
with  Mr.  Tonson — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  29 

Jephson,  Denham,  senr. 


Jephson,  Denham,  junr.r] 

They  go  entirely  with  Lord  Shannon — This  Borough 
belongs  to  them — William  Son  to  the  Senr.  was  formerly  in 
Parliament  but  obtaining  a  Pension  of  £i$o  did  not  come 
in  at  the  last  General  Election — Lord  Harcourt  has  obtained 
a  Pension  of  £600.  for  the  Father. 

Johnston,  Arthur.    BOROUGH  OF  KILLYLEAGH 
Devoted  to  Mr.  Ponsonby's  Fortunes. 

Jones,  Richard.    B.  OF  LIMAVADY 

Returned  by  Lord  Conyngham  —  acts  with  Colonel 
Burton. 

Irwine,  William.    B.  OF  RATOATH 

Married  to  Mr.  Lowther's  Daughter — has  been  always 
against. 

Jephson,  Robert.    BOROUGH  OF  JOHNSTOWN 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Harcourt — a  Pension 
of  £300.  to  his  wife — on  Captain's  half  Pay  and  Master  of 
the  Horse  to  His  Excellency — Author  of  '  Braganza ' — Can 
speak  well  when  prepared.  But  unfortunately,  hitherto, 
altho'  not  designedly  his  Talents  have  been  exerted  to  Points 
where  either  Government  wish'd  to  take  no  part,  or  where 
an  Injury  was  received  from  his  Ability  or  rather  Ingenuity. 

Kearney,  James.    BOROUGH  OF  KINGSALE 

Returned  chiefly  thro'  the  Interest  of  Mr.  Southwell  of 
Kings  Weston — his  Father  has  a  large  Fortune — connected 
with  and  follows  Lord  Shannon. 

King,  Henry.     B.  OF  BOYLE 

Privy  Counsellor — Brother  to  Lord  Kingston  and  much 
influenced  by  him — He  supported  Lord  Townshend  with 
less  zeal  than  inclination,  for  he  wishes  well  to  Government. 
In  the  last  Session  his  Brother  being  in  good  humour  with 
the  Castle,  he  was  very  steady — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  an 
Ensigncy  to  his  Recommendation  and  appointed  him  of  the 
Linen  Board. 


30  THE    IRISH   PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Kirwan,  Edward.     B.  OF  CASTLEBAR 

A  very  strange  man — purchased  his  Seat — Lord  Alta- 
mont  and  Sir  Charles  Bingham  are  somewhat  connected 
with  him — He  has  a  Brother  in  the  5th  Dragoons — has  been 
in  constant  Opposition. 

Knox,  John.     B.  OF  CASTLEBAR 

Married  to  Lord  Kingston's  Sister — Independent  and  of 
great  Fortune — always  in  Opposition — Dead. 

Knox,  John.    B.  OF  DUNGANNON 

Obliged  to  support  from  his  Employment  of  Collector  of 
Dublin  Excise  worth  £700.,  without  it  not  to  be  trusted — He 
wants  to  Sell,  or  to  have  a  place  of  less  Responsibility  & 
trouble — will  not  be  brought  in  by  his  Brother  at  the  General 
Election.  Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommenda- 
tion I  Tidewaiter — One  Supernumerary  Guager — i  Coast 
Officer. 

Knox,  Thomas.    B.  OF  DUNGANNON 

Brother  to  the  Collector — a  Gentleman  of  great  Property 
— much  connected  with  Mr.  Brownlowe  and  acts  in  the 
House  with  him,  which  he  did  uniformly  during  the  last 
Session — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation 
a  Supernumerary  Guager  &  appointed  Mr.  Tisdall,  Surveyor 
[of]  Ringsend,  Land  Waiter  on  the  Quay  of  Dublin,  £300.  a 
year. 

Lambert,  Gustavus.    B.  OF  KILBEGAN 

Had  leave  prior  to  Lord  Townshend's  Administration  to 
sell  his  Collection  of  Trim — his  Lordship  obtained  a  Pension 
of  ^500.  to  his  Brother  the  General — a  steady  honorable 
man. 

Lambert,  Charles.     B.  OF  KILBEGAN 

Son  to  Gustavus — succeeded  Sir  Ed.  New[en]ham  as 
Collector  of  the  County  of  Dublin  Excise  worth  £700.— 
always  with  Government — married  a  Daughter  of  Mr. 
Dutton's  of  Sherborne. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  31 

Latouche,  David,  junr.    BOR.  OF  LONGFORD 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — One  of  the  most  consider- 
able Bankers  in  Dublin  —  unconnected  —  frequently  with 
Government. 

Le  Hunte,  Richard.     WEXFORD 

Constantly  acts  with  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Langriche  (sic\  Hercules.    B.  OF  KNOCKTOPHER 

Lord  Townshend  left  him  Commissioner  &  Supervisor  of 
the  Barrack  Board  £600. — From  Situation  with  Government, 
attach'd  to  and  in  his  Heart  with  Mr.  Ponsonby,  but  will  act 
up  to  his  Professions — a  sensible  man  &  an  able  Speaker — 
Lord  Harcourt  has  promoted  him  to  the  Revenue  Board — 
during  the  last  Session  He  declaim'd  against  Lord  Towns- 
hend— Sir  John  Blaquiere  made  him  eat  his  words  in  a  set 
Speech  and  he  behaved  very  well  afterwards. 

Leigh,  Francis.     DROGHEDA 

The  Attorney  General — Chief  Baron  and  Blayney  Balfour 
are  his  particular  Friends  —  supports  handsomely  —  Lord 
Townshend  gave  a  Living  of  ^500.  to  his  Relation,  and  Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  One  Boatman. 

Leigh,  Robert.     N[EW]  Ross 

Much  connected  with  Lord  Miltown  &  Lord  Meath's 
Families — very  much  with  Lord  Ely — moderate  in  Opposi- 
tion— a  candid  fair  man. 

Leslie,  Charles  Powell.     B.  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 

Lord  Hillsborough's  Cousin  —  an  uncommonly  steady 
Friend  to  Government — has  ask'd  nothing — attends  con- 
stantly. 

Levinge,  Sir  Richard.    B.  OF  DULEEK 

Purchased  his  Seat — Brother  in  Law  to  Colonel  Marlay, 
who  with  the  Dean  have  considerable  Influence  with  him— 
He  has  been  always  against  Government. 


32  THE    IRISH   PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Lowther,  Gorges.    Co.  MEATH 
Lowther,  George.    B.  OF  ATHERDEE 

Father  and  Son — have  been  always  against  Government — 
have  profess'd  Attachment  to  Lord  Harcourt — much  con- 
nected with  Mr.  Robert  Rochfort — His  Excellency  gave  a 
Tidewaiter  to  his  Recommendation. 

Loftus,  Henry.     B.  OF  CLOMINES 

Lord  Ely's — a  Commissioner  of  Accounts  ^500. — Lord 
Townshend  gave  a  Cornetcy  to  One  Son — The  Eldest  an 
Aid  de  Camp  to  Lord  Harcourt — The  Father  a  sensible 
steady  manly  Character. 

Loftus,  Arthur.    B.  OF  FETHARD 

Brother  to  Henry — a  good  attender  altho'  very  Infirm,  a 
very  worthy  man — wants  an  Employment  of  £400. 

Longfield,  Richard.    B.  OF  CLONIKELTY 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  by  Lord  Townshend — brought 
into  Parliament  by  Lord  Shannon — entirely  his  Follower — a 
sensible  man — Independant  Fortune — speaks  when  prepared 
tolerably  well  but  with  a  bad  Address — Lord  Harcourt  has 
given  to  his  Recommendation  One  Supernumerary  Guager — 
Supervisor  of  Hearth  Money — Clerkship  in  the  Stamp  Office 
to  Mr.  Reeves  £100.  a.  year. 

Lloyd,  John.    KING'S  COUNTY 

A  Lawyer — Lord  Drogheda  has  some  little  connection 
with  him — very  Independant — generally  against  Lord  Towns- 
hend— constantly  Opposed  Lord  Harcourt. 

Lucas,  Edward.    Co.  MONAGHAN 

Lord  Dartrey  and  Lord  Blayney  have  some  Influence 
with  him,  but  not  to  be  depended  on— always  against. 

Lysaght,  James.     B.  CHARLEVILLE 

Brought  in  and  entirely  devoted  to  Lord  Shannon — Son 
to  Lord  Lisle. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  33 

Lysaght,  Joseph.     B.  OF  TALLAGH 

Collector  of  Corke  5OO/. — Son  to  Lord  Lisle — attach'd  to 
Lord  Shannon — supports  to  save  himself. 

Lysaght,  Nicholas.    B.  OF  TALLAGH 

Third  Son  to  Lord  Lisle — These  three  Brothers  are 
related  to  Lord  Shannon  &  brought  in  by  him. 

Macartney,  Sir  George.     B.  OF  ARMAGH 

Brought  in  by  the  Primate — was  principal  Secretary  to 
Lord  Townshend — He  gave  him  two  Commissions  in  the 
Army  for  Mr.  Benson — £So.  a  year  to  an  old  Servant — 
made  Sir  George  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Privy 
Council — a  Living  of  £600.  a  year  to  his  Friend  Dean  Marlay, 
and  many  Places  in  the  Revenue  to  his  Friends — He  obtain'd 
for  him  as  a  Reward  for  his  Services  a  Pension  of  ;£  1,500. 
which  has  since  been  changed  to  a  Sallary  &  annex'd  to 
the  Office  of  Constable  of  Tuam — Lord  Harcourt  has  given 
him  several  small  Revenue  Employments  and,  Sir  George 
says,  a  Promise  to  obtain  for  him  a  Peerage,  which  Lord 
Townshend  recommended  but  could  not  effect — He  will  not 
be  in  the  next  Parliament,  and  never  will  attend  during  this. 

McCaussland  John.         j  DONEGALL 

Montgomery,  Alexander.) 

Lord  Townshend  attempted,  and  Lord  Harcourt  obtained 
for  them  in  Council  a  Port  of  Discharge  at  Letterkenny— 
They  came  into  Parliament  upon  Popular  Ground  in  the 
County — They  stand  by  &  court  it — Their  Support  even 
after  all  that  has  been  done  is  very  doubtfull — during  the 
last  Session  they  were  pretty  steady — Mr.  Mc.Caussland  has 
been  made  Collector  of  the  New  Port  with  a  Sallary  of  £100 
a  year,  and  Mr.  Montgomery  has  got  to  his  Recommendation 
Two  Boatmen  —  i  Tidewaiter  —  Surveyor  of  the  Lough- 
swilley  Barge — a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Mahon,  Thomas.    Co.  ROSCOMMON 

Lord  Townshend  made  him  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen 
Board  and  gave  a  Living  of  £200.  a  year  to  his  Son — related 

D 


34  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

to  Lord  Crosbie — He  has  been  very  steady  in  his  Support 
and  to  be  depended  on — Lord  Harcourt  ofTer'd  his  Son  the 
Deanery  of  Connor  worth  ^400.,  and  allowed  him  to  commute 
it  with  Dr.  Dobbs  for  a  Living  of  that  value  near  to  Mr. 
Mahon's — He  has  also  given  to  his  Recommendation  I 
Supernumerary  Guager  and  the  Distributor  of  Stamps  for 
Roscommon. 

Malone,  Richard.     B.  OF  GRANARD 

A  very  decent  young  man — at  the  Bar — goes  and  acts 
with  his  Uncle  Anthony. 

Malone,  Anthony.     Co.  WESTMEATH 

Privy  Council — Commissioner  of  Appeals  worth  £300.  a 
year  to  his  nephew — Livings  to  his  Friends — Three  Commis- 
sions in  the  Army,  and  many  small  Revenue  Employments  by 
Lord  Townshend — He  is  generally  with  Government  and  has 
great  weight  in  the  House  of  Commons — During  the  last 
Session,  particularly  upon  the  very  critical  Question  whether 
the  second  Tontine  was  a  Bill  of  Regulation  or  Supply, 
wherein  Lord  Harcourt's  Administration  &  the  Existence  of 
this  Parliament  were  involved,  and  both  must  have  been 
undone  had  not  Sir  John  Blaquiere's  wonderfull  address  & 
ability  saved  them,  he  would  not  support  the  Opinion 
which  he  gave  at  the  meeting  held  that  very  day  at  the 
Castle,  namely  that  it  was  a  Bill  of  Regulation  only — His 
Nephew,  the  mouth  Piece  of  his  Uncle  on  that  occasion  in 
a  set  Speech  maintain'd  the  contrary — Mr.  Malone  is  now 
very  old  &  his  memory  and  Judgment  are  much  on  the 
Decline — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation 
One  Place  in  the  Revenue  of  £200. — a  Lieutenancy  to  his 
Nephew,  and  a  Supernumerary  Guager  to  his  voter. 

Mason,  John.     B.  OF  BLESINGTON  (sic) 

A  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue  and  a  Seat  in  Parlia- 
ment by  Lord  Townshend — a  Seat  at  the  Barrack  Board  to 
Mr.  Mitchell,  and  provided  for  his  Brother  in  Law  Mr.  Monck 
who  is  since  dead — He  gave  him  an  Employment  of  £200. 
a  year  for  his  Friend  Mr.  Heley,  and  a  Number  of  Things  in  the 
Revenue  for  his  Friends — He  is  a  very  sensible  honorable 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  35 

man — clear  in  Business  and  upon  all  Occasions  takes  a  very 
manly  and  decided  part  in  the  House  of  Commons  altho' 
very  ill  heard — Lord  Harcourt  intends  bringing  him  into 
Parliament — His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recommenda- 
tion One  Supervisor  of  Hearth  Money — 3  Tidewaiters — 
3  Supernumerary  Guagers — i  Hearth  Money  Collection— 
I  Coast  Officer. 

Massey,  Hugh.    COUNTY  OF  LIMERICK 

Recommended  for  a  Peerage  by  Lord  Townshend — his 
Brother  has  a  Regiment  and  his  Son  is  Collector  of  Mary- 
borough— a  very  steady  Attender — has  a  large  independant 
Property — Lord  Harcourt  has  not  given  him  any  Encourage- 
ment to  expect  his  Peerage — He  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation a  Supernumerary  Guager — a  Hearth  Money 
Collection. 

Mathews,  Francis.     Co.  OF  TIPPERARY 

He  has  been  constantly  in  Opposition,  has  a  large 
Fortune  but  very  much  encumbered. 

Morres,  Lodge.    B.  OF  INNISTEOGE 
Devoted  to  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Mathews,  Joseph.    BOROUGH  OF  INNISTEOGE 

Returned  by  Sir  William  Fownes — Collector  of  Kilkenny 
worth  ^200.  a  year — must  support  from  Situation — a  shuffling 
Gentleman — affects  ill  health  upon  critical  Questions. 

Maude,  Sir  Thomas.    Co.  OF  TIPPERARY 

Privy  Council  &  recommended  by  Lord  Townshend  for 
a  Peerage — He  supports  pretty  steadily,  but  upon  two 
occasions  last  Session  opposed  and  affected  Independance— 
but  seeing  his  Seat  in  the  Council  &  Peerage  in  danger  He 
returned  to  Government — Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his 
Recommendation  £200.  in  the  Revenue  to  his  Friend — a 
Supernumerary  Tidewaiter,  &  a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Maunsell,  Thomas,  senr.    B.  OF  KILMALOCK 

King's  Council — Lord  Harcourt  made  him  Council  to  the 
Revenue  worth  £Soo.  a  year — His  Object  is  to  be  a  Judge,  and 


D  2 


36  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

if  possible,  before  the  new  Parliament— an  honest  but  a  very 
dull  man — Attends  &  Supports  constantly. 

Maunsell,  Thomas,  junr.     B.  OF  THOMASTOWN 

Son  to,  and  brings  Thomas  senior  into  Parliament — his 
only  object  is  to  see  his  Father  on  the  Bench — purchased 
both  Seats  with  that  view — They  are  worthy  honorable 
men — have  great  merit  from  their  uniform  &  steady  Support 
and  deserve  the  particular  attention  of  Government — Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  a  Supernumerary 
Guager. 

May,  Sir  James.     Co.  WATERFORD 

A  Baronet  in  1763 — Collector  of  Waterford  £400. — 
attach'd  to  Mr.  Ponsonby — supports  Government  from  Situa- 
tion— Lord  Harcourt,  altho'  a  young  Ensign  allowed  his  Son 
to  purchase  a  Lieutenancy. 

Mayne,  Sir  William.     B.  OF  CARYSFORT 

Affected  great  Attachment  to  the  late  Duke  of  Leinster 
—Lord  Townshend  had  him  removed  from  the  Council — A 
great  Patriot,  to  effect  a  Jobb  in  a  Lease  of  Lands  from  the 
City  of  Dublin  in  which  He  succeeded — a  violent  but  bad 
Speaker,  and  perpetually  calling  for  Accounts  and  Estimates 
without  knowing  their  use. 

Meade,  William.     DROGHEDA 

The  Attorney  General  and  the  Chief  Baron  have  some 
Influence  with  him — generally  against  Government. 

Mervyn,  R.  Rochfort.     PHILIPSTOWN 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  for  him  a  Lieutenant  Colonelcy 
without  Purchase — wanted  to  purchase  a  Lieutenant  Colonelcy 
of  Horse  over  Major  Pope — He  is  Lord  Belvidere's  second 
Brother  and  will  certainly  act  with  him. 

Mitchell,  Hugh  Henry.     B.  OF  INNISKILLEN 

was  appointed  by  Lord  Townshend  Treasurer  of  the 
Barrack  Board,  which  He  afterwards  permitted  him  to  ex- 


THE    HOUSE    OF   COMMONS  37 

change  with  Mr.  Adderly  the  Commissioner — Brother  in  Law 
to  Mr.  Mason. 

Molineux,  Sir  Capel.     UNIVERSITY  OF  DUBLIN 

His  support  has  been  always  very  doubtfull — wants  to  be 
of  the  Privy  Council — An  Independant  respectable  man. 

Montgomery,  Geo.    B.  OF  CAVAN 

Barrack  Master's  place  £150.  for  his  Friend — Son  in  Law 
to  Mr.  Clements — On  some  few  Questions  during  Lord 
Townshend's  Administration  He  voted  with  Government — 
In  Lord  Harcourt's  He  has  been  constantly  against,  and  hates 
all  Government. 

Montgomery,  William.     B.  OF  HILLSBOROUGH 

was  a  Commissioner  of  Excise — upon  reuniting  the 
Boards  placed  upon  a  Pension  of  £600. — Lord  Townshend 
gave  him  an  Employment  of  £200.  a  year  for  his  Brother — 
£120.  for  his  Son  and  many  places  in  the  Revenue  to  his 
Friends — Brought  in  by  &  dependent  on  Lord  Hillsborough — 
He  absented  himself  almost  during  the  whole  of  last  Session 
for  which  he  ought  to  have  lost  his  Pension — affects  conse- 
quence from  Independance — a  mean  man — Lord  Harcourt  has 
given  to  his  Recommendation  a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Montgomery,  Alexander.     Co.  MONAGHAN 

Always  against — Lord  Dartrey  &  Lord  Blayney  have 
some  Influence  with  him. 

Moore,  Thomas.     B.  OF  KELLES 

Connected  with  Lord  Bective — married  his  Sister  and 
brought  into  Parliament  by  his  Lordship — Mr.  Rowley  has 
also  some  Influence  with  him — generally  against — It  is 
expected,  from  an  application  made  by  Lord  Bective  for  a 
Living,  that  his  friends  will  at  least  be  moderate  in  their 
opposition  next  Session. 

Moore,  John.    B.  OF  BALLYNAKILL 

Cousin  to  Lord  Drogheda — constantly  Supports — Lord 
Harcourt  gave  his  Son  an  Ensigncy. 


38  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Montgomery,  Sir  William.     B.  OF  BALLYNAKILL 

Purchased  his  Seat  of  Lord  Drogheda — Auditor  of  the 
Imprests  which,  with  an  additional  Sallary  obtained  by  Lord 
Townshend  of  £378.,  may  be  computed  at  £1,000.  a  year — 
gave  his  Son  a  Cornetcy  without  pay — In  lieu  of  the  Office 
of  Barrackmaster  of  Kinsale,  he  gave  him  the  Dublin  Permit 
Office  worth  £300.,  a  sinecure  held  in  the  name  of  One  of 
his  Clerks — and  in  addition  to  all,  Lord  Townshend  married 
his  youngest  Daughter  Anne — a  Steady  Friend  and  an 
amiable  respectable  man — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  a  Stamper — a  Land  Carriage  Officer. 

Moore,  Colville.    B.  OF  CLONMELL 

Brother  to  Lord  Mt,  Cashell — Insane — formerly  Collector 
of  Corke  Excise — superannuated  on  his  Sallary  of  £100. — 
never  attends. 

Moore,  William.     B.  OF  CLOGHER 

Brother  to  Lord  Mt.  Cashell— attach'd  to  &  follows  Mr. 
Ponsonby. 

Morres,  Haydock,  now  Sir  Haydock.     KILKENNY 
Devoted  to  &  follows  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Mowtray,  James.    B.  OF  AUGHER 

Brother  in  Law  to  Mr.  Knox  of  Dungannon  and  entirely 
influenced  by  him  &  Mr.  Brownlowe — He  supported  last 
Session,  for  which  his  Brother  was  made  Surveyor  of  Killy- 
begs. 

Morres,  Red[mond],    CITY  OF  DUBLIN 
A  violent  Patriot — always  against. 

Nedham,  William.    B.  OF  NEWRY 

Nephew  to  Lord  Chatham — never  attends — To  be  applied 
to  thro'  Lord  Hillsborough  &  Mrs.  Ann  Pitt. 

Nesbit,  Thomas.    B.  OF  CAVAN 

Had  a  Cornetcy  and  a  Company  given  him — now  on  Half 
Pay — Lord  Townshend  obtained  a  Pension  of  £500.  a  year 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  39 

to  his  Father — He  supports  steadily  but  wants  something  for 
himself — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  a  Supernumerary  Guager 
to  his  Recommendation. 

Neville,  Richard  Jones.     B.  OF  WEXFORD 

Made  his  Father  a  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue  by  Lord 
Townshend — He  is  sometimes  with,  but  uncertain  and  very 
Independant. 

Newenham,  Sir  Edward.     B.  OF  ENNISCORTHY 

Formerly  Collector  of  Dublin  County  Excise — dismissed 
by  Lord  Townshend — In  violent  Opposition — a  miserable 
Speaker  and  a  contemptible  silly  Fellow — He  is  now  a  Can- 
didate for  the  County  of  Dublin. 

O'Brien,  Sir  Lucius.    Co.  OF  CLARE 

In  Opposition  always,  but  would  very  willingly  make  his 
Peace  with  the  Castle— He  has  lately  ask'd  the  Collection  of 
Galway  for  his  Brother,  and  it  is  very  probable  that  one  if 
not  both  will  support  next  Session. 

O'Brien,  Edward.     B.  OF  ENNIS 

Brother  to,  &  brought  in  by  Sir  Lucius — very  distress'd 
in  his  Circumstances,  and  it  is  apprehended  that  if  his 
Brother  should  not,  he  will  Support  next  Session  in  Expecta- 
tion that  something  will  be  done  for  him. 

O'Callaghan,  Corn[elius].     B.  OF  FETHARD 

A  Gentleman  that  requires  great  caution  to  talk  with — 
has  been  always  in  Opposition — He  ask'd  and  got  from 
Lord  Harcourt  a  Living  of  .£150. — gave  at  that  Time  thro' 
Mr.  Scott  some  expectation  of  his  Support  —  He  lately 
married  Mr.  Ponsonby's  Daughter. 

Ogle,  George.    Co.  WEXFORD 

Has  been  constantly  in  Opposition — a  respectable  sen- 
sible man — not  to  be  detached  from  his  Party. 

O'Hara,  Charles.     B.  OF  ARMAGH 

Ranger  of  the  Curragh  £400.  and  a  Pension  of  £200.  for 
Thirty  One  years,  both  of  which  he  sold — Lord  Townshend 


40  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

made  him  a  Commissioner  of  Accounts,  and  He  wanted  an 
additional  Sallary  of  ^300. — Lord  Harcourt  has  removed 
him  [from]  that  Board  on  a  Pension  of  £500. — a  good  attender 
and  a  sensible  man — seldom  Speaks  &  ill  hear'd.  Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  a  Hearth  Money 
Collection. 

Oliver,  Silver.     Co.  LIMERICK 

Privy  Counsellor — asked  a  Bishoprick  for  his  Relation 
but  kept  at  a  Distance  from  Parliament — a  very  independant 
Country  Gentleman  —  always  uncertain  in  his  Support — 
Opposed  constantly  last  winter,  for  which  he  ought  to  have 
been  dismiss'd  the  Council — He  has  ask'd  a  Peerage  of  Lord 
Harcourt — no  Encouragement  given  by  His  Excellency. 

O'Niel,  John.    B.  OF  RANDALSTOWN 

Of  great  Property  in  the  North — amiable  &  respectable 
in  publick  &  private — Upon  several  occasions  last  winter 
He  supported  Lord  Harcourt — His  Excellency  has  given 
to  his  Recommendation  I  Tidewaiter — 2  Supernumerary 
Guagers  &  Distributor  Stamps,  Co.  Tyrone — a  Coast  officer 
for  Mr.  O'Hagar. 

O'Niel,  St.  John.     B.  OF  RANDALSTOWN 
Returned  by,  and  follows  his  Brother. 

Ormsby,  William.    B.  OF  SLIGO 

Collector  of  Sligo  £300. — Pension  of  £200.  to  his  Friend 
Mr.  Gough  in  lieu  of  ;£  1,500.  which  his  Friend  Mr.  Gough 
had  paid  him  in  part  purchase  of  hij  Collection  ;  But  Lord 
Townshend  not  permitting  the  Sale  of  Civil  Employments, 
and  Ormsby  having  spent  the  money,  his  Lordship  obtain'd 
the  Pension  for  Gough — notwithstanding  this  substantial 
Favour,  Mr.  Ormsby  talks  of  neglect  and  desires  a  better 
Employment — He  attends  when  in  Health  pretty  well — 
connected  with  the  Mr.  Wynnes — Lord  Harcourt  has  given 
to  his  Recommendation  a  Supernumerary  Guager. 

Osborne,  Sir  William.     [B.  DUNGARVAN] 

Privy  Counsellor  and  first  Commissioner  of  Excise — 
Turned  out  of  the  latter  for  refusing  to  obey  Lord  Towns- 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  41 

bend's  order — His  Brother  a  Surveyor  General,  reduced  upon 
reuniting  the  Boards — Sir  William  is  a  very  able  but  a  most 
impracticable  man  in  Business — He  was  very  attentive  on 
Lord  Harcourt's  arrival  &  supported  handsomely  in  the 
Council  on  the  Loughswilley  Question — From  which  it  was 
imagined  he  would  have  supported  Government  in  Parlia- 
ment— His  Excellency  offer'd  him  a  Cornetcy  for  his  Son 
which  Sir  William  declined — when  the  Session  open'd  He 
talk'd  of  Impeachments  against  Lord  Townshend  and  the 
Chancellor  on  account  of  the  Illegality  of  the  Revenue 
Patent — Sir  John  Blaquiere  with  great  wisdom  &  address 
having  discovered  Sir  William's  plan,  anticipated  its  effect  by 
stating  to  the  House  the  then  defects  in  the  Revenue  Bill 
and  in  the  Appointment  of  Officers  under  the  then  Patent 
by  the  Commissioners,  which  the  House  unanimously  agreed 
to  Remedy  by  a  new  Clause  in  the  Revenue  Bill  when  it 
came  before  them — Sir  William  thus  disappointed  absented 
himself  much  from  the  House — Towards  the  Close  of  the 
Session  He  again  appear'd  &  denounced  Vengeance,  which 
ended  in  a  motion  against  the  Importation  of  Juniper  Berries, 
upon  which  Subject  Sir  John  Blaquiere  shewed  so  much 
better  Information  [that]  Sir  William  was  again  defeated  and 
did  not  attend  the  House  afterwards. 

Pakenham,  Robert.    Co.  LONGFORD 

Brother  to  Lord  Longford — was  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
Army  and  had  been  constantly  in  Opposition — He  closed 
with  &  supported  Lord  Harcourt  upon  a  Promise  of  a 
Company  which  His  Excellency  has  since  procured  for  him 
in  the  33rd  Regiment — In  very  bad  state  of  Health,  thought 
he  cannot  live — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation one  Tidewaiter. 

Palmer,  Roger.     B.  OF  PORTARLINGTON 

Chamberlain  of  the  Exchequer  £50.  which  he  purchased — 
Paymaster  of  the  Corn  Premiums  £600. — Lord  Townshend 
recommended  but  did  not  obtain  an  additional  Sallary  of 
£150.  to  his  office  of  Chamberlain — a  very  steady  &  zealous 


42  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Friend   of  Government — Lord    Harcourt   has   given   to  his 
Recommendation — I  Tidewaiter — 3  Guagers. 

Parnell,  Sir  John.     B.  OF  MARYBOROUGH 

A  Baronet  in  1766 — connected  with  Lord  Drogheda,  but 
in  constant  Opposition. 

Parsons,  Sir  William.     KING'S  COUNTY 

Lord  Drogheda  has  some  Influence  with  him,  but  likewise 
in  constant  Opposition. 

Pepper,  Thomas.     B.  OF  KELLS 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Bective — connected 
with  Mr.  Rowley — has  been  always  against  Government. 

Pennyfather,  Richard) 
Pennyfather,  William}  LAS 

Father  &  Son — formerly  in  violent  Opposition  bought 
off  by  a  Pension  of  £210.  to  his  Daughter  &  her  Children 
and  an  additional  Pension  of  £200.  to  his  Sister,  Lady  St. 
Leger,  and  an  Ensigncy  to  his  Nephew — These  were  their 
terms  which  Lord  Townshend  fullfilFd — The  Son  William 
now  wants  Compensation  for  a  Loss  sustained  by  an  im- 
proper advantage  taken  of  him  by  Lord  Hertford,  and 
wants  an  Employment  of  not  less  than  .£200.  a  year  for 
himself. 

Pery,  Ed.  Sexton.    CITY  OF  LIMERICK 

Lord  Townshend  made  him  Privy  Counsellor  &  Speaker 
— gave  a  Deanery  to  his  Brother  of  £600.  a  year  and  several 
small  Employments  in  the  Revenue — Lord  Harcourt  has 
been  equally  attentive  to  him  in  the  Revenue  Employments 
for  his  Friends — When  Lord  Townshend  carried  the  Chair 
for  him,  the  late  Provost  became  Responsible  to  Government 
for  his  Conduct — To  Lord  Townshend  he  was  at  best  but 
Lukewarm  in  his  Support — a  man  of  great  abilities — a 
cursed  Jobber — hates  English  Government,  and  tries  by  all 
means  in  his  power  to  ruin  the  King's  Hereditary  Revenue 
and  to  raise  the  consequence  of  Irishmen  by  inducing  every 
possible  Difficulty  upon  the  Crown.  This  Gentleman's  Art, 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  43 

Subtlety,  &  Address  are  more  to  be  guarded  against  than 
the  Abilities  &  Craft  of  the  Attorney  General  and  the  whole 
House  of  Commons  besides — Of  this  his  conduct  afforded 
many  Instances  during  the  last  Session,  particularly  with 
regard  to  the  second  Tontine  Bill — It  had  pass;d  thro' 
every  form  in  the  Commons  &  in  England  as  a  Bill  of 
Regulation  only — when  it  was  sent  up  to  the  Lords,  He  said 
he  should  expect  it  back  as  a  Bill  of  Supply  for  which  the 
Commons  were  to  receive  His  Majesty's  Thanks — It  pass'd 
thro'  the  House  of  Lords  as  a  Bill  of  Regulation  and  as 
such  it  was  sent  to  the  Commons  —  The  Question  was 
whether  It  ought  to  be  received — The  Debate  lasted  Seven 
hours — Two  thirds  of  the  House  seem'd  determined  to  sup- 
port the  Opinion  of  the  Speaker  which  he  delivered  in  a 
Speech  of  3/4  hour  with  astonishing  ability,  and  just  as  the 
Question  was  going  to  be  put  Sir  John  Blaquiere  got  up 
contrary  to  every  form  of  Parliamentary  Proceeding  after  the 
Speaker  had,  with  the  consent  of  the  House,  closed  the  De- 
bate, and  in  a  Speech  of  about  half  an  hour  gave  such  a 
Turn  to  the  whole  that  upon  a  Division  it  was  carried 
against  the  Chair  by  a  considerable  majority — The  Speaker's 
Plan  evidently  was  to  have  effected  a  Conference  between 
the  two  Houses,  in  which  from  the  mode  the  Bill  had  been 
conducted  in  each,  It  became  impossible  for  them  to  agree, 
and  a  Dissolution,  which  probably  would  have  involved 
Lord  Harcourt's  Administration,  must  have  been  the  certain 
consequence,  besides  the  loss  of  the  Tontine  Bill ;  for  without 
carrying  that  then  depending,  the  other  would  have  fallen  of 
course,  and  Pery  would  undoubtedly  have  been  returned  for 
the  Chair —  It  was  a  masterpiece  of  Policy  &  Design 
scarcely  perhaps  to  be  equal'd — He  has  ask'd  a  Bishoprick 
for  his  Brother — His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation Three  Tidewaiters — The  Distributor  of  Stamps 
for  Limerick. 

Pole,  William.    QUEEN'S  COUNTY 

Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Drogheda — Turned  out  of  the 
Council  by  Lord  Townshend — has  been  constantly  in  Oppo- 
sition— connected  with  Lord  Hertford. 


44  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Pom[e]roy,  Arthur.     Co.  KILDARE 

Returned  by  &  devoted  to  the  Leinster  Family — had  he 
been  unconnected  with  his  Grace,  He  certainly  would  have 
supported  His  Excellency — Lord  Harcourt  offered  him  a 
Seat  at  the  Revenue  Board,  which  the  Duke  would  not  allow 
him  to  accept. 

Preston,  Joseph.     B.  OF  NAVAN 

Mr.  Ponsonby's  Follower — To  be  spoken  to  by  the  Chief 
Baron — Lord  Granard  has  some  little  connection  with  him — 
Nephew  to  Lord  Ludlow— has  been  always  against. 

Preston,  John.    B.  OF  NAVAN 
The  same. 

Pom[e]roy,  John.     B.  OF  TRIM 

Returned  by  Lord  Mornington — Colonel  of  the  64th 
Regiment — Lord  Townshend  obtained  for  his  Friend  Captain 
Powell  a  Majority  without  Purchase  and  a  Company  to  his 
Recommendation — He  gave  his  Lordship  but  a  very  feint 
(sic)  support — To  Lord  Harcourt's  Administration  He  has 
been  zealously  attach'd — His  Excellency  has  given  to  his 
Nomination  an  Ensigncy  and  a  Hearth  Money  Collection — 
a  Tidewaiter — The  Purchase  &  Preference  of  a  Lieutenancy 
for  his  Nephew. 

Ponsonby,  William.     CITY  OF  CORKE 

Son  to  John — fell  with  his  Father — late  Exfaminator]  of 
the  Customs. 

Ponsonby,  John.     Co.  KILKENNY 

Privy  Council — late  Speaker  etc.  etc.  etc. 

Price,  Francis.     B.  OF  LISBURNE 

Nephew  to  Lord  Hertford — Returned  by  his  Lordship- 
was  formerly  Collector  of  Strangford  which  he  had  leave  to 
Sell — ask'd  to  be  a  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue — a  very 
bad  attender. 


THE    HOUSE    OF   COMMONS  45 

Prittee,  Henry.     B.  OF  GOWRAN 

Related  to  Sir  Henry  Cavendish — ask'd  several  Favours 
of  Lord  Townshend — very  uncertain  in  his  Support — last 
winter  he  seldom  attended,  &  I  think  when  he  did  was 
against. 

Quin,  Wyndham.    B.  OF  KILLMALLOCK 

Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Dartree — a  Gentleman  of  large 
Property — purchased  his  Seat — wanted  to  be  of  the  Privy 
Council — very  uncertain  in  his  Support — has  almost  con- 
stantly Patriotic  Qualms. 

Ram,  Andrew.     B.  OF  DULEEK 
Ram,  Abel.     NEWBORO  GOREY 

Stephen  Ram.     THE  SAME 

These  Gentlemen  make  a  merit  of  never  giving  a  Vote 
to  the  Castle. 

Radclifif,  Dr.     B.  OF  IRISHTOWN 

Related  to  the  late  Bishop  of  Ossory  &  connected  with 
the  Primate. 

Rochfort,  Robert.     B.  OF  AUGHER 

Brother  to  Lord  Belvidere — Surveyor  of  the  King'sLands, 
£500.  a  year  for  Life — has  been  generally  with  Government 
and  when  attended  to,  constantly — Now  that  his  Father  is 
dead  and  that  he  is  left  Independant  both  from  office  & 
private  Fortune,  it  is  probable  he  will  have  some  Bargain  to 
make  for  himself:  a  man  of  amiable  Character  and  very  much 
respected — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation 
a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Rowley,  Clotworthy.    B.  OF  DOWN  PATRICK 

Connected  with  Mr.  Rowley  &  inclined  to  be  against  on 
that  account,  but  very  poor  and  supported  Lord  Townshend 
on  Expectation,  He  must  Lord  Harcourt  from  Situation,  His 
Excellency  having  made  him  a  Commissioner  of  Appeals 
^"300. 


46  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Ross,  Robert.    BOR.  OF  CARLINGFORD 

Lord  Townshend  procured  Leave  for  him  to  Sell  his 
Lieutenant  Colonelcy — during  his  Administration  he  was 
chiefly  against — Connected  with  Lord  Hillsborough — much 
attach'd  to  Mr.  Brownlowe,  and  during  the  last  Session 
always  followed  him — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  5  Boatmen — i  Tide  waiter — i  Coxwain  (sic) 
— Is  to  provide  for  his  Friend  Mr.  Moore's  Son  and  to  assist 
Mr.  Houston. 

Ruxton,  John.     B.  OF  ATHERDEE 

One  Brother  Surgeon  General — another  Brother  Gentle- 
man of  the  Bed  Chamber  to  my  Lord  Lieutenant — connected 
with  Mr.  Ponsonby  and  has  been  always  in  Opposition. 

Roche,  Boyle.     B.  OF  TRALEE 

Brigade  Major  of  Dublin — wants  a  Civil  Employment. 

Rowley,  Hercules  Langford.    Co.  OF  MEATH 

His  Wife  made  a  Viscountess — of  very  great  property — 
courts  popularity  and  has  almost  constantly  been  very 
adverse  to  Government. 

St.  George,  Sir  Richard.     B.  OF  ATHLON E 

Made  a  Baronet  in  1766 — connected  with  Lord  Arran — 
has  been  always  against. 

Sandford,  Henry.     B.  OF  CARRICK 

Register  of  Forfeitures  .£800.  for  Life — 111  Health  and 
never  Attends — Attach'd  to  the  Duke  of  Leinster. 

Sandford,  Robert.     B.  OF  ROSCOMMON 

Lieutenant  Colonel  on  Half  Pay  which,  with  his  Govern- 
ment of  Gal  way,  He  holds  by  King's  Letter — He  wants  an 
additional  Sallary. 

Sentleger,  Sentleger.     B.  OF  DONERAILE 

Follows  Lord  Shannon— promised  the  Peerage  of 
Doneraile.  Lord  Harcourt  gave  him  a  Supernumerary 
Guager. 


THE   HOUSE   OF  COMMONS  47 

Shiel,  Robert.    B.  OF  DUNDALK 

King's  Council — Commissioner  of  Appeals  £300. — Re- 
turned by  Lord  Clanbrassill — It  is  imagined  his  Lordship 
will  not  bring  him  into  the  next  Parliament. 

Scott,   John.      B.   OF   MULLINGAR 

Brought  into  Parliament  by  Lord  Tovvnshend  and  made 
him  King's  Council  &  Council  to  the  Commissioners  of 
Customs — a  very  able  &  rising  man  both  in  Parliament 
and  at  the  Bar — generous  &  manly  in  his  private  and 
Publick  Conduct— grateful  &  punctual  where  He  professes — 
Lord  Harcourt,  entertaining  upon  all  Occasions  the  highest 
opinion  of  his  Integrity,  Secrecy,  Abilities,  &  Judgment,  has 
consulted  him  and  treated  him  with  the  utmost  confidence — 
He  made  him  Solicitor  General  and  gave  an  Employment  of 
£400.  a  year  to  his  Brother — also  to  his  Recommendation — 
2  Supernumerary  Guagers — Stamp  Inspector  of  the  Courts  to 
Mr.  O'Brien  £70. 

Steele,  Sir  Richard.     B.  OF  MULLINGAR 

A  Baronet  and  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  by  Lord 
Townshend — The  very  reverse  of  Mr.  Scott — ungratefull  and 
unfaithfull — wants  a  Pension  of  £i$o.  for  his  Son. 

Sibthorpe,  Robert.     B.  OF  DUNLEER 

Judge  of  Kilmainham — Related  to  the  Chief  Baron 
Foster — His  conduct  upon  the  Park  Presentment l  is  too 
recent  to  require  any  Description. 

Smyth,  Charles.     CITY  OF  LIMERICK 

Wanted  a  Grant  of  the  King's  Island  which  Lord  Towns- 
hend procured  for  the  purpose  of  a  new  Barrack — He  is 
generally  in  Opposition. 

1  Some  works  of  enclosure  and  improvement  having  been  carried  out  by  the 
Government  in  the  Phoenix  Park,  Dublin,  the  citizens  claimed  the  Park,  either 
by  prescription  or  as  ancient  common,  and  in  August  1774,  raised  subscriptions 
to  contest  the  right  of  the  Crown.  The  Corporation  presented  the  Bailiffs 
(Sir  J.  Blaquiere's)  Lodge  as  a  nuisance,  intending  if  successful  to  present  the  other 
Lodges.  The  case  was  heard  in  the  King's  Bench  in  Feb.  1775.  Robinson  (p.  87), 
one  of  the  judges,  'joined  the  mob,' and  endeavoured  to  have  the  presentment 
traversed,  but  was  unsuccessful,  and  the  jury  gave  a  verdict  in  favour  of  the 
Crown  (see  Harcourt  Papers,  ix.  261-264). 


48  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Skeffington,  William  John.     B.  OF  ANTRIM 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  for  him  a  Company  of  Foot 
for  which  he  supported  constantly — Lord  Harcourt  refused 
him  a  Troop  of  Dragoons,  and  in  the  last  Session  He  opposed 
violently — He  is  in  private  Life  consider'd  as  an  honorable 
amiable  young  man — Brother  to  Lord  Masserene. 

Skeffington,  Henry.     BELFAST 

Brother  to  Lord  Masserene — Returned  by  Lord  Donegal 
and  has  been  constantly  in  Opposition,  altho'  his  Lordship 
received  many  Favours  during  Lord  Townshend's  Adminis- 
tration— Mr.  Skeffington  acts  with  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Skeffington,  Hugh.     ANTRIM 

A  Troop  of  Horse  &  Brevet  Rank  as  Major — Lord 
Townshend  procured  a  Pension  of  ^"200.  a  year  for  his  Sister 
in  Law — Uncle  to  Lord  Masserene — a  drunken  weak  man — 
never  to  be  depended  on. 

Somerville,  James.     B.  OF  CARLOW 

A  Wine  Merchant — has  been  always  against 

Stewart,  Robert.     Co.  DOWNE 

Son  in  Law  to  Lord  Hertford — now  married  to  a 
Daughter  of  Lord  Camden's — always  against. 

Staples,  John.     B.  OF  CLOGHER 

Commissioner  of  Customs — Brother  in  Law  to  Mr- 
Conolly — attach'd  to  him,  but  must  support  from  Situation — 
He  will  Shirk  when  he  can— requires  attending  to — Lord 
Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  i  Boatman — 2 
Tidewaiters — i  Supernumerary  Guager. 

Stewart,  Sir  Annesley.     B.  OF  CHARLEMONT 

Lord  Townshend  gave  him  a  Cornetcy  which  fell  vacant 
by  the  Death  of  his  Relation  during  its  Passage  thro'  the 
office — has  always  been  in  Opposition. 

Stewart,  William.     B.  OF  NEWCASTLE 

Lord  Lanesborough's,  and  always  acts  with  him. 


THE    HOUSE    OF   COMMONS  49 

Stewart,  James.    Co.  TYRONE 

Captain  of  Horse — Nephew  to  Lord  Kingston — generally 
against. 

Stratford,  John.     B.  OF  BALTINGLASS 

His  Father  made  a  Peer  in  1762 — Leave  to  his  Brother 
to  purchase  a  Company  of  Foot — another  Brother  Chaplain 
to  Lord  Harcourt — The  Support  &  Gratitude  of  this  very 
honorable  Family  never  to  be  depended  on. 

Smith,  Thomas.    BALLYSHANNON 

Returned  by  Mr.  Conolly — has  not  taken  his  Seat — Son 
to  Charles  Smith,  Member  for  Limerick. 

Swan,  Edward  Bellingham.    B.  LANESBOROUGH 

Clerk  of  the  Permits  which  he  resigned  on  being  appointed 
Surveyor  General — A  Pension  of  £250.  to  his  Sisters,  for 
which  he  purchased  into  Parliament — Lord  Harcourt  made 
his  Brother  John,  Steward  of  his  Household,  and  gave  him 
an  Employment  of  ^400.  a  year — Mr.  Swan  is  Comptroller— 
at  the  end  of  last  Session  He  got  an  Extra  Warrant  of 
£200. — He  was  zealous,  steady,  &  able  in  his  Support  of  Lord 
Townshend,  and  has  been  equally  attach'd  to  &  serviceable 
to  Lord  Harcourt. 

Talbot,  William.    B.  OF  JOHNSTOWN 

Lord  Townshend  gave  his  Nephew  a  Living  of  ,£300,  a 
year — Independant,  &  respectable — frequently  opposes — He 
has  ask'd  Lord  Harcourt  for  a  Living  for  another  Nephew — 
His  Conduct  during  the  last  Session  was  very  fair  &  deserves 
Consideration. 

Tighe,  William.    ATHBOY 

Son  in  Law  to  Sir  William  Fovvnes — attach'd  to  Mr. 
Ponsonby  and  always  against  Government. 

Tighe,  Edward.    B.  OF  WICKLOW 

Commissioner  of  Accounts  and  the  Supervisorship  of 
Wicklow  to  his  Friend — steady  in  his  Support — sensible,  and 
may  be  made  very  usefull  in  the  House — His  Excellency 

E 


50  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

allowed  him  to  Name  the  first  Clerk  in  the  Stamp  Office 
;£ioo.  a  year. 

Tighe,  Robert.    B.  OF  ROSCOMMON 

Patentee  Comptroller  of  Dublin,  which  he  purchased  of 
Mr.  Rigby — Nephew  to  Mr.  Clements,  goes  with  him — claimed 
a  Promise  made  him  by  Lord  Townshend  which  Lord  Har- 
court  has  fullfilled  by  appointing  him  Clerk  of  the  Deliveries 
to  the  Ordnance  worth  £200. 

Tottenham,  Charles.    B.  OF  BANNOW 

Collector  of  Drogheda  £400. — Lord  Ely's  Nephew — In 
his  Heart  with  Mr.  Ponsonby — wants  to  be  Surveyor  Gene- 
ral— Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  i 
Boatman. 

Tottenham,  Charles.    B.  OF  CLOMINES 

Made  a  Commissioner  of  the  Customs  by  Lord  Towns- 
hend —  reduced  on  reuniting  the  Boards  to  a  Pension  of 
£600. — Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Ely  and  acts  implicitly  with 
him.  Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation 
Four  Boatmen — Two  Tidewaiters. 

Tottenham,  Charles.     B.  OF  NEW  Ross 
Son  to  the  Commissioner. 

Tottenham,  John.     B.  OF  FETHARD 

Father  to  the  Commissioner — very  old — never  attends. 

Tisdall,  Philip.    DUBLIN  UNIVERSITY 

Privy  Counsellor — Secretary  of  State  £1800. — Attorney 
General  ;£  1500. — Judge  of  the  Prerogative  Courts  ;£  1200.— 
Lord  Townshend  made  his  Cousin  Mr.  Boyle  a  Commissioner 
of  the  Revenue  ^1000. — a  Living  of  £600.  to  Mr.  Disney — a 
Cornetcy  to  his  Nephew — his  Brother  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Barrack  Board  £400. — several  small  Livings  and  many  Places 
in  the  Revenue  to  his  Friends — He  was  out  of  Humour 
latterly  with  Lord  Townshend  because  he  could  not  obtain 
for  him  a  large  Pension  for  3 1  years — deceived  and  betrayed 
him  on  many  occasions — To  be  strictly  watch'd  &  cautiously 


THE   HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  51 

confided  in — He  promised  to  Support  Lord  Harcourt  and 
affected  great  Candour  and  disinterestedness  —  During  the 
last  Session  when  desired  He  attended — seldom  took  any 
part  in  Debate — On  the  Speaker's  motion  to  have  the  second 
Tontine  Bill  received  as  a  Bill  of  Supply,  He  supported 
handsomely  &  ably  in  the  House  the  opinion  he  had  given  at 
the  meeting  at  the  Castle,  that  it  was  a  Bill  of  Regulation. 

Townsend,  Mr.     Co.  CORKE 

Commissioner  of  the  Customs — Lord  Shannon's  Friend — 
has  very  great  influence  upon  Mr.  Sentleger — Lord  Harcourt 
has  given  to  his  Recommendation  One  Boatman  —  Two 
Hearth  Money  Collectors. 

Tunadine,  John.     B.  OF  ASKEYTON 

Master  in  Chancery — An  Ensigncy  for  his  Nephew  by 
Lord  Townshend,  and  he  allowed  his  Friend  to  Sell  a 
Military  Employment  by  which  He  secured  his  Borough — 
very  steady  in  his  Support — much  attach'd  to  and  acts  with 
the  Maunsells. 

Trench,  William  P.  Keating.     Co.  GALWAY 

Brother  in  Law  to  Mr.  Ponsonby — Listed  with  and  fought 
under  Mr.  Ponsonby — has  been  always  in  Opposition. 

Tyrell,  Duke.     B.  OF  PHILLIPSTOWN 

Follows  strictly  Lord  Belvidere — wants  an  Employment — 
Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  [ends}. 

Vandeleur,  Crofton.     B.  OF  ENNIS 

Several  small  Favours  and  gave  his  Friend  Mr.  Blakeney 
the  Place  of  Surveyor  General  £$oo.  a  year — a  very  Shabby 
mean  Fellow  &  never  to  be  depended  on. 

Vesey,  Agond  [Agmondisham].    B.  OF  KINSALE 

Accountant  General  £800.  a  year — wants  to  Sell  his 
Employment,  the  only  hold  Government  has  on  him — His 
object  is  to  be  of  the  Privy  Council  or  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Revenue. 

E  2 


52  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Underwood,  Richard.     B.  OF  TRALEE 

Providore  to  the  Royal  Hospital  &  two  small  offices  to 
his  Friends  by  Lord  Townshend  —  Purchased  his  Seat ; 
Harrass'd  by  General  Dilkes — attach'd  to  Mr.  Beresford — 
Lord  Harcourt  procured  an  additional  allowance  for  main- 
taining the  old  men  [?  man],  and  a  Sum  of  Money  for  the 
loss  he  had  sustained — very  steady  in  his  Support.  He  wants 
to  be  of  the  Linen  Board — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his 
Recommendation  a  Land  Carriage  Officer. 

Waller,  Robert.     B.  OF  DUNDALK 

Formerly  a  Surveyor  General — afterwards  by  Lord 
Townshend  a  Commissioner  of  Excise — Returned  by  Lord 
Clanbrassill — very  steady — has  great  knowledge  in  the 
Revenue — his  Brother  Clerk  of  the  Minutes  to  the  Excise 
Board  worth  £200. — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation— 2  Guagers— a  Hearth  Money  Collection — a 
Coast  Officer  and  a  Supervisor  of  Hearth  Money. 

Ward,  Nicholas.    B.  BANGOR 

Lord  Townshend  obtained  a  Peerage  for  his  Father — 
more  than  half  an  Ideat,  requires  watching. 

Westby,  Nicholas.    B.  OF  TULSK 

Purchased  of  Justice  Caulfield — has  opposed  constantly. 

Walsh,  General.    B.  MARYBOROUGH 

Colonel  56th  Regiment — Quarter  Master's  Commission 
for  one  Friend — a  Living  of  £200.  and  afterwards  a  Deanery 
of  £700.  to  his  Brother  by  Lord  Townshend — very  Steady  in 
his  Support — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  him  an  Ensigncy  to 
his  Relation  Mr.  Jephson. 

Westenraw,  Henry.     MONAGHAN 

Brought  in  by  Lord  Clermont  when  his  Lordship  got  his 
Peerage — He  promised  that  this  Gentleman  should  always 
support  Government — He  ask'd  Lord  Townshend  for  an 
Employment,  and  on  being  refused  went  into  Opposition — 
He  has  renewed  his  Request  to  Lord  Harcourt,  and  last 


THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS  53 

Session  he  supported — This  unfortunate  Gentleman  is  claim'd 
as  his  by  Lord  Clermont,  Mr.  Fortescue,  &  General  Cuning- 
ham  when  either  of  them  have  any  Point  to  carry — when  he 
is  left  by  them  for  a  moment,  He  then  Sollicits  for  himself. 

Wilson,  James.     B.  OF  TAGHMON 

Mr.  Ponsonby's  Friend  &  violent  in  Opposition. 

Wood,  Attiwell.    B.  CASTLEMARTYR 

A  Lawyer — sensible  man — bad  Speaker — very  tedious — 
follows  Lord  Shannon. 

Wynne,  Owen.     Co.  SLIGO 

Privy  Council — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Governor 
of  Corke  to  his  Brother,  and  for  which  he  promised  always 
to  Support,  by  Lord  Townshend — generally  with  Govern- 
ment but  often  out  of  Humour — wants  a  Sinecure  for  his 
Son — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  the 
Office  of  Surveyor  of  Sligo  and  One  Tidewaiter — 5  Boat- 
men— Mate  Sligo  Barge — Distributor  of  Stamps,  Sligo. 

Wynne,  John.     B.  OF  SLIGO 

Governor  of  Corke — Lord  Harcourt  allowed  him  to  Sell 
his  Lieutenant  Colonelcy  of  Horse — never  without  some 
Scheme  or  Grievance. 

Yelverton,  Barry.     B.  OF  DON  EG  ALL 

A  Lawyer  of  some  Eminence — much  connected  with  & 
attended  to  by  the  Chancellor — Brought  in  at  the  End  of 
last  Session  by  the  Earl  of  Arran. 


[BOROUGH    OWNERS,   LEADERS   OF   CON 
NEXIONS    AND   FOLLOWERS.] 


Duke  of  Leinster 

Sir  Fitz.  Aylmer. 
Sir  Kild.  Burrowes 
William  Burg 
Simon  Digby 
Robert  Graydon 
Roger  Hall 
Jos.  Henry 
Walter  Hussey 
Sir  William  Mayne 
Arthur  Pomroy 
Thomas  Burg 

Lord  Shannon 

Richard  Aldworth 
James  Barry 
Sir  John  Colthurst 
James  Dennis 
Ab.  Devonshire 
Rigs  Falkiner 
Den.  Jephson 
Den.  Jephson,  jun. 
James  Kearney 
Richard  Townsend 
Richard  Longfield 
Jas.  Lysaght 
Nichs.  Lysaght 
Sentleger  Sentleger 
Attiwell  Wood 
Jos.  Lysaght 
Sir  Robert  Deane 
Jocelyn  Deane 

Mr.  Ponsonby 

John  Blackwood 
Cornelius  Bolton 


Wm.  Brabzon 
Wm.  Burton 
Jos.  Deane 
Sir  Wm.  Fownes 
John  Hatch 
Edward  Hoare 
Jos.  Hoare 
Arthur  Johnston 
Richd.  Le  Hunte 
William  Moore 
Lodge  Morres 
Sir  Haydock  Morres 
Sir  Wm.  Parsons 
Wm.  B.  Ponsonby 
Jos.  Preston 
John  Preston 
John  Ruxton 
Wm.  P.  K.  Trench 
James  Wilson 
John  Hyde 

Lord  Ely 

Ar.  Loftus 
Hen.  Loftus 
John  Tottenham 
Charles  Tottenham 
Charles  Tottenham 
Charles  Tottenham 
Robert  Hellen 

Sir  Lu.  O'Brien 
Ed.  O'Brien 

Lord  Drogheda 

John  Moore 
Wm.  Poole 


PARLIAMENTARY   CONNEXIONS 


55 


Francis  Price 

Mr.  Dobbs 

Sir  John  Parnell 

Mr.  Clements 

Robert  Clements 
Theo.  Clements 
T.  Nesbit 
Robert  Tighe 

Lord  Annaly 

John  French 
Henry  Gore 
Wm.  Gore 

Mr.  Conolly 

Mr.  Smyth 
Mr.  Staples 

Lord  Crosbie 

Sergt.  Coppinger 
Laun.  Crosbie 
Thomas  Mahon 

Lord  Lanesboro 

Jno.  Cog.  Cramer 
Mr.  Stewart 

Mr.  Malone 

Richard  Malone 
Dennis  Daly 
Anthony  Daly 

Lord  Dawson 

John  Dawson 
Ephraim  Dawson 
Roger  Palmer 

Lord  Mornington 

Thos.  Fortescue 
General  Pomroy 


Lord  Arran 

Richard  Gore 
Counsellor  Yelverton 
Sir  John  Freke 
James  Cuffe 

Sir  Henry  Cavendish 

John  Croker 
Peter  Holmes 
Henry  Prittee 
James  Cavendish 

Lord  Conyngham 

Richard  Jones 
Col.  Burton 

Lord  Donegall 

Henry  Skeffington 

Lord  Kingston 

Henry  King 
Captain  Stewart 
Richard  Fitzgerald 

Lord  Bective 

Thomas  Moore 
Thomas  Pepper 

Lord  Belvidere 

Robt.  Rochfort 
Col.  Rochfort 
Duke  Tyrell 

Lord  Clermont 

James  Fortescue 
Mr.  Westenraw 
General  Cuningham 

Attorney  General 

Mr.  Fran.  Leigh 

Provost 

Mr.  Earbery 


STATE    OF    THE    HOUSE    OF    COMMONS, 
2ND   JULY    1775. 

N.B. — Those  marked  *  must  from  situation  support  Government. 

Those  marked  f  can  scarcely  be  considered  under  the  influence  of  the 
Person  to  whom  they  are  classed  unless  to  effect  some  point  personal  to 
themselves,  then  they  become  united  but  not  otherwise. 
Those  marked  J  may  be  detached. 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

Achesonf         ..... 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Adderley           ..... 

— 

— 

— 

Aldworth          







Allan  f     

— 

— 

— 

Alexander         ..... 

— 

— 

I 

— 

Archdall  



I 





Armstrong  f     . 

— 

— 

I 

— 

Aylmer    

— 

I 

— 

— 

Butler  Pierce    

I 

— 

— 

— 

Balfourf  

I 

— 

— 

— 

Barry  Barry      ..... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Barry,  Robert  ..... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Barry,  James  f  .                  ... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Beauchamp,  Lord     .... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Beresford          ..... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Binghamf        ..... 
Birch       

j 

— 

I 

— 

Blackwood        ..... 



I 

— 

— 

2  Blakeneys  *  . 

2 

— 

— 

— 

Bligh        

I 

— 

— 

— 





I 



Bolton     



I 



Burrowes           ..... 

I 

— 

— 

2  Bourkes         ..... 

2 





Broderick          







I 

Brooke     



I 

— 



2  Brownes        ..... 

2 

— 

— 

— 

Brownlowe       ..... 





I 



2  Burghs           ..... 

— 

I 

— 

I 

Burton,  Col.     ..... 

I 

— 



— 

Bushe       

I 

— 

— 

— 

Butler      

I 





,  

Burton,  Carlo  w          .... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Bagenal,  Beauchamp 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Burton,  Pierp.  f 
Blaquiere,  Sir  John  .... 
Brabzonf          ..... 

I 

I 

— 

I 

Campbell,  Ld.  F  

— 

— 

— 

I 

Cane        

I 

r  t 



—  * 

Carew,  Robert          .... 

I 



— 

Carew,  Shap.  .         .         .         . 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Carleton  . 

I 

— 

. 

—  — 

STATE   OF   THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS      57 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

Carey       ...... 

I 

I 

— 

— 

2  Cavendish's  ..... 
Caulfield,  Francis  i  . 
Caulfield,  Wm  
Chicester           
Chapman          ..... 
Clement,  V.  P          .... 
3  Clements       
Coddington       ..... 
Coghlan  ...... 
Colclough         ..... 
Colthurst           
Conway   ...... 
Cooper     ...... 
Coote       
Coppinger        

2 

I 
I 

3 

I 
I 

I 

— 

I 

Corry,  Armor  L. 
Curry       ...... 
Cotter      
Cramer     ...... 
Creighton          ..... 
Crofton    ...... 

i 

I 
I 

I 

— 

— 

Croker     
Cuffe        
Cuninghame     ..... 
Daly,  D  
Daly,  A  
Damer  f  . 

i 
i 

I 
I 

I 

— 

2  Dawsons        ..... 
3  Deanes          
Dennis    ...... 
Denny     ...... 

2 
2 
I 
I 
I 

I 

— 

— 

Digby      
Dillon      ...... 
Dobbs      
Dunbar,  George  f     .         .         .         . 
Dunbar,  Charles       .... 
Dunluce,  Lord          .... 
Earbury  ...... 
Falkiner  
Fetherston        ..... 

I 

I 
I 

I 
2 

I 

I 

I 

— 

Fitzgerald,  Richard  .... 
Fitzgibbon        ..... 
Flood,  Henry  ..... 
Flood,  John     
Flood,  Warden          .         .         . 
Forde      

I 
I 

I 

— 

Fortescue,  Jas.          .... 
Fortescue,  Th. 
Foster     ...... 

I 

— 

I 

— 

Fownes   ...... 

j 

Freake     
French,  Robt. 

— 

I 
I 

— 

— 

THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

French,  John  ..... 
Gamble  f         ..... 

— 

.    — 

— 

Gisborne           ..... 
Gore,  Richard           .... 
Gore,  William           .... 
Gore,  Henry    ..... 
Gorges,  Richard       .... 
Graydon  ...... 
Grogan    ...... 
Gardiner           ..... 
Hall         

I 

I 
I 

I 

I 

I 

— 

Hamilton,  George    .... 
Hamilton,  Sir  H  
Hamilton,  John        .... 
Hamilton,  Claud.     .... 
Handcock         ..... 
Hatch      
Hellen    

i 

i 

i 
I 

— 
I 

— 

— 

Henry     ...... 

j 

Hill         

i 

Hoares,  Ed.  &  Jos. 

i 

2 

— 

— 

2  Howards,  Hugh  &  Ralph 
Hull,  Tonson  

2 

— 

j 

— 

— 

j 

Hutchinson      
Hyde       

T 

I 

— 

— 

Jeffereyes          ..... 
3  Jephsons  *    
Johnston  f         
Jones,  Theo  

I 

3 
i 

I 

— 

Z 

Jones,  Richard          .... 

i 

I 

— 

— 

Kearney  ...... 
King        ...... 
Kirwan    ...... 
Knox,  John  f  . 
Knox,  Tho  1 
2  Lamberts       ..... 
Langrishe         ..... 
Latouche          ... 

i 

2 

I 

I 

I 
j 

— 

Le  Hunte,  Richard  .... 
Leigh,  Fras.f  ..... 

1 
I 

I 

—        : 

Leigh,  Robert           .... 
Leslie      .... 

j 

I 

— 

— 

Levinge  .         . 

I 

Loftus,  Henry 
Loftus,  Ar.       .         .         .         .         .   ; 
Longfield          .         •         .         .         .  I 
Lowthers,  Gorges  £  Geo. 
Lloyd       ; 

I 

I 
I 

2 
j 

— 

— 

Lucas       .         .         .         .         .         . 

I 

Lysaghts,  Jas.,  Jos.,  Nich. 
Macartney        ... 

3 

— 

I 

McCaussland   ... 

i 

Montgomery,  Al.      .         .         .         .  ' 

i 

— 

— 

— 

STATE   OF   THE    HOUSE   OF   COMMONS      59 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

Morres,  Red  



I 

— 

— 

i 





__ 

Malones,  Anthony  &  Richard   . 

2 

— 

— 

— 

Mason     ...... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Massey    

I 

•  —  • 

— 

— 

I 



___ 

Mathews          ..... 

I 





Morres,  Lodge          .... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Maude     ...... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

2  Maunsells     ..... 

2 

— 

— 

— 

May         

I 

— 

— 

— 

Mayne     ...... 

— 

— 

I 

— 

Meade    

— 

I 

— 

— 

Mervyn,  Rochfort     .... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Mitchell  

I 

— 

— 

— 

Molineux          ..... 



— 

I 

— 

Montgomery,  Geo.  .... 
Montgomery,  Commissioner]   . 

I 

I 

i 

~ 

Montgomery,  Monaghan  . 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Montgomery,  Sir  Wm. 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Moore,  Thomas        .... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Moore,  John    

I 

— 

— 

— 

Moore,  Colv.   ..... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Moore,  Wm.    ..... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Morres,  Haydock     .... 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Mowtray           

I 

— 

— 

— 

Nedham  ...... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Nesbit      

I 

— 

— 

! 

Neville    ...... 



I 

— 



Newenham  f    . 

— 

I 

— 



O'Brien,  Sir  L  





I 



O'Brien,  Ed  





I 



O'Callaghan     

— 

I 

— 



Ogle         



I 

— 



O'Hara    

I 



Oliver      





I 

_ 

O'Niels,  John  &  St.  John 

2 

— 

— 



Ormsby   ...... 

I 

— 

— 



Osborne  





I 



Pakenham        

I 



— 



Palmer  f  

I 







Parnell    

I 

— 



Parsons    ...... 



I 

— 



Pennefathers,  Rd.  &  Wm. 

2 



— 



Pepper     

. 

I 

— 



Pery,  Speaker           .... 

I 

— 

— 



Poole       

I 

_  _„ 



Pomroy,  A.      ..... 



— 



Pomroy,  John           .... 

I 

— 

— 



Ponsonbys,  John  &  Son    . 



2 

— 



Prestons,  Jos.  &  John 

— 

— 

2 



Price        

I 







Prittie      



I 



Qwin       ...... 

— 

I 

— 



Rams,  And.,  Ab.  St.         . 

__ 

3 

— 



Rochfort,  Robert      .... 

I 

— 



Ross,  Col  

— 

— 

I 

6o 


THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 


Names 

For 

Against      Doubtful 

Absent 

Rowley,  Clot  
Rowley,  Her  
Ruxton    ...... 
Radcliffe           
St.  George       

I 
I 

I 

I 

7 

— 

Sandford,  Hy.           .... 
Sandford,  Robt  
Scott,  John       
Steele,  Sir  Rd  

I 

Sentleger 
Shiel        
Sibthorpe         
3  Skeffingtons  ..... 

3- 

— 

Smyth  Ch  

j 

Smyth,  Prendergast  .... 
Somerville        ..... 
Staples     .         ,         .         . 
Stewart,  Annesley    .... 
Stewart,  Wm.,  L's  
Stewart,  Robert,  H's. 
Stewart,  James,  K's.,  Capt. 
Stratford  
Swan       

I 

I 

j 

z 

Talbot     

I 

Tighes,  Ed.  &  Robt. 
Tighe,  Wm.     . 

2 

—         :         — 
1 

i 

Tisdall    .... 

j 

J 

Townsend        ..... 

Trench     

Tunadine 
Tyrell      .... 

I 
j 

—                  — 

— 

Vandeleur 

Vesey      

j 

Underwood      .... 

j 

Waller     . 

j 

Walsh      .... 

j 

Ward       

I 

Westby    

. 

Westenraw 

I 

Wilson     . 

Wood       . 

j 

2  Wynnes        .... 

2 

Yelverston        .... 

Roche,  Major  ..... 

I 

Bernard,  Francis       .... 

—                  — 

I 

For  Government 
Against 
Doubtful 
Absent  . 
Seats  vacant  . 


Abstract  of  the  above  List. 


155 

95 
3i 


300 


Vacant  : — 

Kerry — Hassett  [Blennerhassett]  i 
Castlebar — Knox  .  .  .  i 
Baltinglass — Lill  .  .  i 

Newtown  {  T:  Lf  Hunte          \ 
{  Sir  Wm.  E.  MorresJ 
Westmeath -Belfield      .        .     i 


HOUSE   OF    LORDS. 

Consisting  of  All  those  Peers  who  come  to  Ireland — There 
are  many  of  them  who  seldom  or  [n]ever  attend. 

Lord  Primate 

A  Bishoprick  for  his  Friend  Dean  Cope  by  Lord  Towns- 
hend — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Grace's  Recommenda- 
tion Distributor  Stamps,  Co.  Armagh. 

Lord  Chancellor,  Baron  Lifford 

A  Living  of  £500.  to  Mr.  Bowden  his  Chaplain — a 
Cornetcy  to  his  Son — £1000.  a  year  addition  to  his  Sallary 
as  Chancellor — An  Ensigncy  for  his  Friend  Mr.  Lyttelton 
in  the  42nd  Regiment  by  Lord  Townshend — During  Lord 
Townshend's  Administration  His  publick  Conduct  in  the 
House  of  Lords  was  very  exceptionable  and  often  complained 
of — In  the  last  Session  it  was  generally  adverse  to  Govern- 
ment— at  all  Times  affecting  Popularity  by  a  very  mark'd 
attention  to  the  Lords  in  Opposition,  &  the  contrary  to  such 
as  supported  Government — He  introduced  of  new  the 
Judges  Bill,  and  attempted  to  force  it  thro'  the  House,  even 
after  Lord  Harcourt's  desire  to  drop  it  had  been  signified 
to  him — He  canvass'd  the  House,  and  requested  the  support 
of  every  Lord  of  an  Address  to  the  King  to  grant  him  an 
Extra  Allowance  of  ^2000.,  altho'  He  had  received  his 
additional  Sallary  expressly  to  obviate  that  Practice — With- 
out any  Communication  with  the  Castle,  the  House  imagining 
that  he  acted  in  concert  with  it,  He  threw  out  in  the  Lords 
the  Casual  Revenue  Bill,  a  Bill  which  had  originated  in  the 
Commons  &  been  returned  from  England,  by  which  the 
Crown  loses  perhaps  not  less  than  .£20,000.  a  year — He  has 
in  a  variety  of  Instances  Opposed  in  Council,  and  when  He 
assisted,  his  Support  has  been  so  lukewarm  &  ineffectual 


62  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

as  to  bring  neither  Strength  nor  Advantage  with  it  to  the 
Crown.  Prior  to  the  Meeting  of  last  Session  Lord  Harcourt 
gave  Mr.  Hewitt  the  Reversion  of  the  Examinator  of  Hearth 
Money  worth  ,£300.  a  year,  and  recommended  his  Lordship's 
Son  for  a  Company  at  the  Regulated  Price — and  since  the 
last  Session  His  Excellency  gave  to  his  Recommendation 
the  Living  of  Sentry  [Santry]  worth  ^300.  a  year,  and  a 
Supernumerary  Guager  to  his  Relation. 

Craddock,  Archbishop  of  Dublin 

Translated  from  the  See  of  Kilmore  to  Dublin  worth 
^5,ooo.  and  a  Company  to  his  Son  in  Law  Mr.  Hamilton  by 
Lord  Townshend,  and  Lord  Harcourt  has  given  him  a  Troop 
of  Dragoons — a  very  good  Speaker  in  the  House  of  Lords 
when  he  wanted  Preferment — Is  seldom  choak'd  with  Grati- 
tude to  his  Friend — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recom- 
mendation a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Archbishop  of  Cashel 

Never  attends  Parliament. 

Archbishop  of  Tuam 

Translated  from  Elphin  by  Lord  Harcourt — attends  con- 
stantly. 

Duke  of  Leinster 

The  late  Duke  received  in  his  own  person  a  Marquis — 
Duke  in  Ireland — an  English  Viscount — Master  General  of 
the  Ordnance — Lord  Justice  &  Privy  Council — Notwithstand- 
ing which  His  Grace  with  Twelve  Members  which  He 
returns  to  Parliament  were  constantly  in  Opposition — The 
present  Duke  does,  &  seems  determined  to,  walk  in  the  steps 
of  his  Father. 

EARLS. 
Antrim 

Governor  of  the  County — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — 
Privy  Counsellor — has  not  attended  Parliament  these  four 
years  and  asks  to  be  a  Marquis — His  Son  Lord  Dunluce 
has  opposed  constantly  these  two  last  Sessions. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   LORDS  63 

Westmeath 

Governor  of  the  County  of  Westmeath  —  very  attach'd  to 
Lord  Harcourt  —  His  Excellency  made  his  Servant  One  of 
the  State  Messengers  £4.0.  a  year. 

Meath 

Opposed  Lord  Townshend's  Administration,  for  which  his 
Father  lost  his  Pension  and  was  struck  out  of  the  Privy  Council 
—  The  present  Lord  has  opposed  Lord  Harcourt  because  His 
Excellency  did  not  appoint  him  sole  Governor  of  the  Coun- 
ties of  Dublin  &  Wicklow  —  His  Brother  Mr.  Brabzon 
attach'd  to  &  follows  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Donegall 

Privy  Counsellor  —  Lord  Townshend  created  a  Constable 
of  Carrickfergus  to  serve  his  Lordship  in  Elections  —  gave  his 
Friend  Mr.  Price  the  Surveyorship  of  Carrickfergus,  and  made 
his  Lordship  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  —  Lives  chiefly  in 
England,  but  in  the  Face  of  these  Favours  conferr'd  on  him  by 
Lord  Townshend,  his  Friends  constantly  Opposed  his  Lord- 
ship, and  Mr.  Skeffington  has  done  the  same,  who  is  returned 
by  his  Lordship,  to  Lord  Harcourt. 

Cavan 

Colonel  of  the  55th  Regiment  —  my  Lord  Harcourt  gave 
to  his  Recommendation  a  Coast  Officer's  Employment  to 
James  Anderson 


Inchiquin 

Privy  Council  &  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  —  seldom 
attends. 

Drogheda 

Privy  Council  —  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  —  a  Regiment 
of  Dragoons  —  Governor  of  the  County  of  Meath  and  the 
King's  County  —  Master  General  of  the  Ordnance  —  Major 
General  on  the  Staff—  Constable  of  Maryborough,  and  asks 
to  be  a  Marquis  —  his  Lordship  has  Two  Seats  in  Parlia- 
ment —  One  He  sells  to  Sir  William  Montgomery,  the 


64  THE   IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

other  he  gives  to  Mr.  Moore,  who  asks  &  receives  Favours 
separately  for  himself — He  has  some  connection  with  three 
or  four  Members,  but  I  do  not  recollect  a  single  Instance  in 
which  that  Connection  has  biass'd  any  of  them  to  the 
Castle — He  also  returns  two  Members  for  Maryborough  both 
which  he  sells,  and  yet  he  takes  credit  with  Government  for 
a  Following  of  four  or  five  Members  when  in  fact  he  has  not 
the  Command  of  One. 

Granard 

Privy  Council  &  Governor  of  the  County  of  Longford  by 
Lord  Townshend — Lord  Harcourt  has  made  his  Friend  Mr. 
Coates  Surveyor  of  Ringsend  worth  £250.  a  year — He  has  four 
seats  in  Parliament,  but  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  they 
are  all  Sold  for  the  next  Parliament 

Tyrone 

Privy  Counsellor — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board,  Governor  of 
the  County  of  Waterford — his  Brother  Wm.  a  Living  of  £600. 
a  year — a  number  of  Employments  in  the  Revenue,  and  ask'd 
to  be  a  Marquis — Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Friend  the  first 
Living  vacant  in  his  Gift  £200. — He  has  renewed  his  applica- 
tion for  a  Marquis  and  ask'd  a  Bishoprick  for  his  Brother — 
His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recommendation  the  Dis- 
tributor of  Stamps,  Waterford — 2  Hearth  Money  Collections. 

Carrick 

His  Lordship's  Father  who  died  lately,  was  of  the  Privy 
Council  and  Linen  Board,  and  Lord  Townshend  obtained  for 
him  a  Pension  of  ;£iooo.  a  year — a  Company  for  his  second 
Son,  and  gave  a  Living  of  £200.  to  his  Friend — Since  the 
Father's  death  the  Captain  has  resigned  his  Company — He 
has  two  Seats  in  Parliament — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to 
his  Recommendation — a  Hearth  Money  Collection — Distri- 
butor of  Stamps. 

Hillsborough 

Privy  Council — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — an  Earl— 
and  Governor  of  the  County  of  Downe — Lord  Townshend 


THE    HOUSE   OF   LORDS  65 

obtained  for  his  Friend  Dr.  Dickson  the  Deanery  of  Downe 
worth  ,£1500.  a  year — made  another  Friend  of  his  a  Commis- 
sioner of  Excise  ;£iooo.  and  gave  a  Living  of  ^300.  at  his 
Lordship's  Request  to  a  Friend  of  Mr.  C.  Dunbar's— His 
Lordship  came  to  Town  at  the  opening  of  two  Sessions  and 
supported  Lord  Townshend  very  ably — He  is  never  without 
some  object  or  other  ;  He  has  hitherto  only  ask'd  Lord 
Harcourt  for  the  Collection  of  Donaghadee,  but  he  certainly 
has  some  Job  in  reserve  which  he  will  push  at  the  proper 
moment  by  surprise. 

Shannon 

Pension  of  ^"3000.  for  31  years — Trustee  of  the  Linen 
Board — Governor  of  the  County  of  Corke — Lord  Harcourt 
made  his  Friend  Mr.  Townsend  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Revenue — Serjeant  Dennis,  Prime  Serjeant  worth  ,£1200. — 
Mr.  Lysaght  a  Patentee  Employment  of  £200. — Mr.  Moore 
Surveyor  of  Courtmacsherry  £i$o. — Obtain'd  for  his  Lord- 
ship the  office  of  Muster  Master  General  worth  ;£i8oo.  a  year 
— He  returns  !  Members,  and  there  are  more  that  act 

steadily  with  him — Lord  Harcourt  has  also  given  to  his 
Recommendation — Pension  of  £600.  for  Mr.  D.  Jephson — a 
Hearth  Money  Collection — 2  Boatmen. 

Lanesborough 

Formerly  a  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue  and  was  turned 
out  of  it  and  the  Council  by  Lord  Townshend — He  has 
been  restored  to  the  Council  by  Lord  Harcourt  and  a  Pension 
of  £1200.  obtain'd  for  him  in  lieu  of  his  Seat  at  the  Revenue 
Board— He  is  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  and  Governor  of 
the  County  of  Cavan — His  Lordship  has  two  Boroughs,  but  I 
am  afraid  they  are  both  disposed  of  for  the  next  Parliament 
— He  is  an  amiable  unfortunate  man — strongly  attached  to 
Lord  Harcourt.  His  Excellency  has  given  to  his  Recommen- 
dation the  Distributor  of  Stamps  for  Cavan,  I  Guager — I 
Tidewaiter — 2  Hearth  Money  Collectors,  i  Walking  Officer. 

1  Number  not  stated  in  MS. 


66  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Clanbrassill 

Privy  Counsellor — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Chief 
Remembrancer  £3000.  a  year  for  Life — made  his  Friend 
Surveyor  of  Dundalk  £150. — He  brings  in  Mr.  Waller  & 
Mr.  Shiel — The  one  was  a  Commissioner  of  the  Revenue, 
and  has  now  a  Pension  in  lieu  of  it  of  £600. — The  other 
King's  Council  &  Commissioner  of  Appeals  £300. — He  has 
complain'd  very  loudly  against  and  quarrell'd  with  Lord 
Harcourt  because  his  Excellency  would  not  allow  him  to 
name  to  the  Collection  of  Dundalk,  and  to  the  office  of 
Distributor  of  Stamps  for  the  County  of  Lowth,  both  which 
had  been  engaged  before  he  applied — He  has  declared  his 
Intention  to  return  two  new  Members  for  Dundalk,  and  that 
the  condition  of  their  Election  is  to  be  never  to  accept  of 
anything  from,  that  they  may  be  at  liberty  always  to  Oppose 
Government. 

Belvidere 

The  Father  of  the  present  Earl  lately  Dead — He  was  of 
the  Privy  Council,  of  the  Linen  Board,  and  held  the  office  of 
Muster  Master  General — His  Lordship  has  four  Seats  in 
Parliament — He  is  Governor  of  the  County  of  Meath,  and  a 
Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — He  has  ask'd  to  be  a  Commis- 
sioner of  the  Revenue — left  very  embarrass'd  in  his  Circum- 
stances, &  from  his  Distress  must  consequently  be  dependent 
on  the  Crown,  likely  to  quarrel  with  his  Brother  Robert,  a 
respectable  amiable  man — Lord  Harcourt  has  at  his  earnest 
Request  appointed  Mr.  Handcock  one  of  his  Aid  de  Camps, 
and  given  to  his  Recommendation  the  Distributor  of  Stamps 
for  the  County  of  Westmeath. 

Wandesford 

Wanted  to  be  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  out  of  Humour 
with  Lord  Townshend  because  he  refused  to  recommend  it — 
He  has  since  Opposed. 

Lowth 

Turned  out  of  the  Privy  Council  by  Lord  Townshend — 
wanted  to  be  Constable  of  Birmingham  Tower  and  upon 


THE    HOUSE    OF   LORDS  67 

refusal  went  into  strong  Opposition,  in  which  he  has  continued 
ever  since. 

Mornington 

Wanted  a  Living  for  his  Tutor  and  Opposed  Lord  Towns- 
hend  because  he  did  not  give  it — Lord  Harcourt  has  gratified 
him,  and  He  supported  last  Session — He  has  a  Borough,  for 
which  He  returns  Mr.  T.  Fortescue  &  General  Pomroy.  His 
Excellency  gave  to  his  first  Servant  the  Inner  Porter  Stamp 
Office  £40. 

Moira 

A  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board,  has  no  Influence  in  Par- 
liament. 

Arran 

He  is  of  the  Privy  Council — His  Father  who  died  lately 
was  of  the  Privy  Council — a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board  and 
Governor  of  the  Counties  of  Wexford  &  Mayo — He  got  a 
Deanery  and  a  Living  of  £500.  for  his  Friend  Dean  Brocas, 
and  his  Brother  Richard  was  made  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Revenue,  and  afterwards  went  into  Opposition  for  which  he 
was  turned  out  by  Lord  Townshend — They  have  opposed 
Lord  Harcourt  but  with  moderation — much  connected  with 
Lord  Annaly,  and  as  that  Sett  of  Goresare  now  disposed  to 
good  Humour  with  the  Castle,  'tis  probable  this  will,  &  that 
they  will  all  Support  next  Session. 

Courtown 

Wants  Preferment  in  the  Church  for  his  Brother — seldom 
attends — has  no  Earthly  Influence  in  Parliament — and  inde- 
cently enough,  thro'  some  Connections  he  has  in  England, 
got  himself  named  of  the  Council  here  without  making  any 
Application  to  Lord  Harcourt. 

Melt  own 

Privy  Counsellor  by  Lord  Townshend — Lord  Harcourt 
made  him  Governor  of  the  County  of  Wicklow  on  the  Death 
of  Lord  Meath — He  wants  a  Living  of  ,£200.  for  a  Mr. 
Roberts — a  constant  Attender. 

F2 


68  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Farnham 

Privy  Counsellor — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Viscount 
&  Earl — Leave  to  Sell  his  Place  of  Birmingham  Tower  for 
which  he  got  £7000. — One  Brother  a  Bishop  worth  near 
.£3000.,  another  holds  the  Place  of  Prothonotory  to  the 
Common  Pleas  worth  ;£iooo. — both  Brothers  in  violent 
Opposition,  and  I  believe  the  noble  Lord  himself  has  never 
taken  his  Seat. 

Charlemont 

Governor  of  the  County  of  Armagh — has  a  Borough — 
has  been  always  in  Opposition  both  to  Lord  Townshend  & 
Lord  Harcourt,  and  always  will  to  Government — In  private 
Life  amiable  &  respectable — In  Publick  violent,  petulant,  & 
waspish. 

Bective 

His  Lordship  and  his  Friends  have  hitherto  Opposed, 
but  as  he  is  now  asking  Favours  of  the  Crown,  it  is  imagined 
that  he  means  in  the  next  Session  to  Support. 

Howth 

Privy  Council  and  recommended  by  Lord  Townshend  for 
a  Pension  of  .£500.,  but  not  obtain'd,  a  constant  Attender. 

Bellamont 

A  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board.  He  supported  very 
steadily  during  the  last  Session  and  was  of  considerable 
Service  to  the  Crown  in  giving  notice  of  &  counteracting 
the  Hostile  Schemes  of  the  Chancellor — His  primary  object 
is  Rank  in  the  Army — his  next  a  Commissioner  of  the 
Revenue  or  any  other  considerable  Employment.  Lord 
Harcourt  has  obtain'd  for  him  a  Seat  in  the  Council. 

Kingston 

Rank  of  Earl  obtain'd  for  him  by  Lord  Townshend  — 
Privy  Council  for  his  Brother  Henry,  and  a  Living  of  £200. 
to  his  Recommendation — Governor  of  the  County  of  Sligo 
— He  became  latterly  indisposed  to  Lord  Townshend  be- 
cause his  Lordship  would  not  carry  into  effect  the  King's 
Letter  naming  his  Friend  Colonel  Fitzgerald  of  the  Council. 


THE    HOUSE   OF   LORDS  69 

Roden 

Privy  Council — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — Auditor 
General  for  Life  worth  ;£i2OO. — Searcher  of  Galway  £700. — 
Lord  Townshend  obtain'd  for  him  the  Rank  of  Earl,  and  on 
his  giving  up  the  Tenure  for  Life,  to  be  held  during  pleasure, 
joined  his  Son's  name  in  his  Patent  of  Auditor  General — a 
constant  attender  and  a  tolerable  Speaker — He  affects  to 
be  out  of  Humour  with  Lord  Harcourt,  altho'  he  offer'd 
him  an  Ensigncy,  because  he  did  not  give  a  Cornetcy  to  his 
Son,  and  takes  upon  himself  some  share  of  Lord  Clan- 
brassill's  quarrel  and  Resentment,  However,  by  that  Master 
Piece  of  Lord  Townshend's  in  changing  the  Tenure  of  his 
Employment,  &  having  but  a  small  Fortune,  he  is  totally  in 
the  Power  of  the  Castle. 

Ely 

Earl — Privy  Council — several  Places  in  the  Revenue — 
Living  of  ^"200.  to  Mr.Homan — Mr.  Tottenham  Commissioner 
of  the  Customs  ^1000. — Mr.  Loftus  a  Commissioner  of  Ac- 
counts £500. — The  Monroes  .£300. — Mr.  McLean  Secretary 
to  the  Board  of  Accounts  .£300. — Mr.  Hellen  Council  to  the 
Excise  £1000.— -a  Cornetcy  for  Mr.  Loftus — Mr.  Tottenham 
Collector  of  Drogheda  £400. — an  Ensigncy  for  Miss  Monroe's 
Brother.  All  these  Favors  obtain'd  thro'  Lord  Townshend. 
He  has  Seven  Seats  in  Parliament,  and  has  been  very 
faithfull  &  constant  in  his  Support  ever  since  he  made  his 
Bargain  with  Lord  Townshend — To  Lord  Harcourt  he  is 
under  very  particular  Obligations — His  Excellency  has  given 
to  his  Recommendation  Three  Tide  Waiters  —  Surveyor 
Wexford  £6$. — Coast  Surveyor  £35. — Supervisor  of  Hearth 
Money  £6$. — Coast  Officer  £35. — Distributor  of  Stamps, 
Wexford  £50. 

Altamont 

A  Baron  in  1761 — Governor  of  the  County  of  Mayo — 
obtain'd  the  Rank  of  Viscount  &  Earl  thro'  Lord  Townshend, 
also  a  Cornetcy  for  his  Grandson — his  Third  Son,  the  Collector 
of  Foxford,  made  a  Surveyor  General,  &  his  fourth  Son 
Collector  in  his  Room — For  his  Son  the  Colonel  Lord 


70  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

Harcourt  has  obtained  the  office  of  Constable  of  Carrickfergus 
with  a  Sallary  of  £i  per  day. 

Ross 

A  Baronet  in  1763,  and  Governor  of  the  County  of 
Donegal — obtain'd  the  rank  of  Viscount  &  Earl  thro'  Lord 
Townshend. 

VISCOUNTS. 
Mountgarret 

Seldom  attends — when  he  did,  voted  against  Government. 

Valentia 

Seldom  attends — when  he  did  was  with  Government. 

Strangford 

A  Pension  for  his  Daughters — of  ^250. — an  Ensigncy  for 
his  Son  by  Lord  Townshend,  and  Leave  for  him  &  Dr. 
Bernard  to  exchange  their  Preferments  in  the  Church,  by 
which  means  they  put  a  large  Sum  of  Money  in  their  Pockets, 
and  defrauded  those  to  whom  they  had  let  their  Tythes 
during  Incumbency — He  wants  a  Bishoprick  for  himself  and 
a  Company  for  his  Son — Lord  Harcourt  gave  him  a  Lieu- 
tenancy. 

Ranelagh 

A  constant  attender,  for  Government. 

Molesworth 

A  Pension  for  his  Sisters — connected  by  Marriage  with 
Mr.  Ponsonby's  Family. 

Boyne 

Powerscourt 

Wanted  to  be  an  Earl — hitherto  in  constant  Opposition. 

Mountmorris 

In  violent  Opposition — related  to  Mr.  Ponsonby. 

Mountcashel 

Nephew  to  Mr.  Ponsonby. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   LORDS  ft 

Glerawley 

Connected  with  Lord  Tyrone. 

Clanwilliam 

A  Peerage  in  1766 — made  his  Brother  in  Law  Bourke 
first  a  Dean — then  a  Bishop  in  Lord  Townshend's  Admini- 
stration— when  He  attends,  he  Supports — very  giddy. 

Crosbie 

Privy  Council — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — obtain'd 
Viscount's  Rank  thro'  Lord  Townshend — a  Deanery  for  his 
Brother — his  Cousin  Mr.  Coppinger  Rank  of  Serjeant  at 
Law,  and  several  small  Favours  in  the  Revenue — a  constant 
attender — has  a  very  considerable  Interest  in  Kerry — He 
now  wants  the  Rank  of  Earl,  &  that  his  Relation  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Crosbie  be  either  put  on  full  pay  or  have  a  io/  a  day 
Government — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommenda- 
tion— 2  Coast  Officers — a  Hearth  Money  Collection,  and 
Distributor  of  Stamps,  Co.  Kerry. 

BISHOPS. 
Meath 

Brother  to  Lord  Farnham — seldom  attends — when  he 
does,  against. 

Kildare 

Attends  &  constantly  with  Government. 

Corke 

Was  Chaplain  to  Lord  Townshend,  attends  constantly — 
Lord  Harcourt  made  his  Nephew  Distributor  of  Stamps  for 
Corke. 

Waterford 

Attends  constantly. 

Clogher 

Lord  Townshend  at  his  Request  offer'd  him  the  Arch- 
bishoprick  of  Dublin,  but  upon  a  previous  assurance  that  he 


72  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

would  not  accept  it — for  some  years  he  has  had  very  bad 
Health  &  attended  seldom. 

Limerick 

Translated  by  Lord  Townshend  from  Elphin — Brother 
in  Law  to  Mr.  Clements — attends  constantly  in  expectation 
of  a  better  See. 

Kilmore 

First  Chaplain  to  Lord  Harcourt. 

Elphin 

Translated  by  Lord  Harcourt  from  Ossory — This  See 
worth  £4000. 

Killala 

Very  old — never  attends. 

Raphoe 

Supports  when  he  attends. 

Clonfert 

Formerly  Dean  Cope — Brother  in  Law  to  Sir  Archibald 
Acheson,  and  the  particular  Favorite  &  Friend  of  the 
Primate  —  Recommended  by  Lord  Townshend  upon  his 
Grace's  Request. 

Ferns 

Obtain'd  by  Lord  Townshend — Son  to  Commissioner 
Bourke  &  Brother  in  Law  to  Lord  Clanwilliam — a  Sensible 
man  and  attends  constantly — The  Borough  of  Old  Leighlin 
belongs  to  this  Borough  [sic\. 

Ossory 

Translated  from  Dromore  to  this  See  by  Lord  Harcourt — 
The  Borough  of  St.  Kenice  or  Irish  Town  belongs  to  this  See. 

Downe 

Never  attends — wishes  very  much  for  Emancipation — sup- 
posed in  his  present  See  to  be  under  some  very  unusual  Em- 
barrassment before  or  since  Lord  Hertford's  Administration. 


THE   HOUSE   OF   LORDS  73 

Dromore 

The  late  Dean  Hawkins,  made  by  Lord  Harcourt  at  the 
Request  of  Lord  North. 

Derry 

Translated  by  Lord  Townshend  from  Cloyne,  and  gave 
an  Ensign cy  to  his  Friend  Lawless — Lord  Harcourt  obtained 
a  Captain  Lieutenancy  for  another  Friend  Mr.  Allen — and 
gave  his  Agent  Mr.  Swan  the  Employment  of  Port  Surveyor 
of  Derry  worth  .£400. 

Cloyne 

Made  by  Lord  Townshend — a  constant  Attender  &  a 
good  Speaker — His  Excellency  has  given  him  for  his 
Services  last  Session  an  Expectation  of  the  See  of  Cashell. 

Killaloe 

Made  by  Lord  Townshend  upon  giving  up  his  Prebend 
of  Westminster  to  Dr.  Young,  his  Lordship's  Chaplain. 

BARONS. 
Kingsale 

A  Pension  by  Lord  Townshend  of  ^400,  and  an  Ensigncy 
to  his  Eldest  Son — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  an  Ensigncy  to 
another  Son. 

Blayney 

A  Regiment — Major  General  on  the  Staff — Governor  of 
the  County  of  Monaghan — by  Lord  Townshend  a  Trustee  of 
the  Linen  Board — an  Ensigncy  and  a  Quarter  Master's  Com- 
mission for  his  Friends. 

Southwell 

Constable  of  Limerick — Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — 
Governor  of  the  County  of  Limerick,  and  Leave  for  his  Son 
to  purchase  a  Troop  of  Dragoons — His  present  objects  are  to 
be  of  the  Privy  Council,  and  to  obtain  a  Pension  of  £200  for 
his  two  Aunts. 


74  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

Desart 

wants  a  Pension  for  his  Sister  Mrs.  Herbert — connected 
with  Lord  Tyrone. 

Knapton 

Opposed  Lord  Townshend,  and  generally  against  during 
the  last  Session — He  has  ask'd  a  Hearth  Money  Collection. 

Longford 

A  Captain  in  the  Navy — constantly  in  Opposition  to  Lord 
Townshend  —  a  tolerable  Speaker  &  a  very  respectable 
good  humour'd  man — He  and  his  Brother  supported  steadily 
during  the  last  Session — Lord  Harcourt  gave  to  his  Recom- 
mendation Distributor  of  Stamps  for  Longford. 

Lisle 

A   Peer   in    1758 — Follows  Lord   Shannon,   wants    an 
Ensigncy  for  his  Nephew. 

Mountflorence 

Has  two  Seats  which  he  Sells — always  Supported — 
wants  a  Barrack. 

Baltinglass 

A  Peer  in  1763 — a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — allowed 
his  Son  to  purchase  a  Company  from  a  Cornetcy — wants  to 
be  an  Earl,  and  Preferment  in  the  Church  for  his  Son — 
always  Opposed  Lord  Townshend — He  did  not  attend  last 
Session — His  Son  voted  against  constantly  in  the  Commons. 

Erne 

Appointed  Storekeeper  of  the  Ordnance  which  He  re- 
signed last  Winter — Lord  Townshend  gave  it  to  him  and 
obtained  the  Peerage  for  his  Father — His  Brother  is  in 
Parliament  &  opposed — his  Lordship  supported — Lord 
Harcourt  has  made  him  a  Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board. 

Annaly 

Chief  Justice  of  the  King's  Bench  and  a  Peer  in  1766 — 
His  Brother  Examinator  of  the  Customs — made  his  Friend 


THE   HOUSE  OF  LORDS  75 

a  Judge— Barrackmaster  of  £200  to  Mr.  Wilson — Deanery 
for  Dr.  French,  and  several  Livings  to  his  Friends,  with  an 
additional  Sallary  of  £500  to  his  office  as  Chief  Justice — 
During  last  Session  he  did  not  indiscriminately  Oppose,  but 
could  by  no  means  be  consider'd  as  a  Friend  upon  any 
occasion — his  Brother  did  not  attend  one  day — His  Lord- 
ship now  seems  very  repentent,  and  possibly  observing  no 
great  Cordiality  between  His  Excellency  &  the  Chancellor, 
he  means  to  make  his  advantage  of  the  moment  in  case  the 
Seals  should  become  vacant  by  Death  or  removal  of  the 
Chancellor — Lord  Harcourt  has  given  to  his  Recommenda- 
tion [ends]. 

Eyre 

made  a  Peer  by  Lord  Townshend  in  1768 — Supports 

Irnham 

made  a  Peer  in  1768  at  the  Request  of  the  Duke  of 
Grafton — Opposes. 

Dartry 

made  a  Peer  in  1770  by  Lord  T. — Supports. 

Bangor 

made  a  Peer  in  1770  by  Lord  T. — Supports.  Lord 
Harcourt  has  allowed  him  to  name  to  him  a  Tidewaiter. 

Clermont 

Postmaster  General — Privy  Council  and  Trustee  of  the 
Linen  Board — a  Peer  in  1768  by  Lord  Townshend  and 
several  Favors  in  the  Revenue — He  resides  almost  con- 
stantly in  England — He  now  wants  the  Rank  of  Earl.  Lord 
Harcourt  gave  him  the  Distributor  of  Stamps  for  Monaghan. 

Dawson 

Trustee  of  the  Linen  Board — made  a  Peer  in  1770  by 
Lord  Townshend — has  a  Borough  and  two  Sons  in  Parlia- 
ment— Lord  Harcourt  gave  him  the  Distributor  of  Stamps 
Queen's  County. 


STATE   OF   THE    IRISH    HOUSE   OF   LORDS. 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

Lord  Primate 

I 

_ 

_ 

_ 

Lord  Chancellor 

I 







Archbishop  Dublin 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Archbishop  Cashell     . 







I 

Archbishop  Tuam 

I 

— 





Duke  of  Leinster 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Earls 

Antrim       .... 

_ 

_  . 



I 

Westmeath 

I 



__ 



Meath         .... 



I 





Donegal     .... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Cavan         .... 

I 



— 

— 

Inchiquin  .... 

I 

— 

— 

Drogheda  .... 

I 

— 

— 

Granard      .... 

I 

— 

— 



Tyrone       .... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Carrick       .... 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Hillsborough 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Shannon     .... 

I 



— 



Lanesborough 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Clanbrassill 

j 





Belvidere   .... 

I 







Wandesford 





I 



Mornington 

I 



_ 

— 

Moira        .... 

— 

— 

I 

— 

Arran         .... 

— 

— 

I 

— 

Courtown  .... 

I 



,  



Miltown     .... 

I 



— 



Farnham    .... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Charlemont 

— 

I 

— 

— 

Bective       .... 

— 



I 



Bellamont  .... 

— 

— 

Kingston    .... 

— 

— 

_  . 

Roden        .... 

— 

— 

— 

Ely    

— 

— 

— 

Altamont   .... 

— 

— 

— 

Ross  ..... 







Viscounts 

Mountgarret 
Valentia     . 

— 

'           | 

— 

I 

I 

Netterville 







I 

Strangford 

I 

— 

— 

— 

Ranelagh    . 
Fitzwilliam 

I 

— 

r 

I 

Molesworth 

.  — 

— 

— 

I 

STATE   OF  THE    HOUSE   OF   LORDS         77 


Names 

For 

Against 

Doubtful 

Absent 

Boyne 

i 





_ 

Powerscourt 

— 

I 

— 



Mountmorres 



I 





Mount  Cashel     . 

— 

I 





Glerawley  .... 

i 

— 

— 



Clanwilliam 

i 

— 

— 



Clare          .... 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Crosbie       .... 

i 

— 

— 

— 

Bishops 

Meath 



I 





Kildare 







Corke 

— 





Waterford 

— 





Clogher 

— 

— 



Limerick 

— 

— 



Kilmore 







Elphin 

— 





Killala 

— 

— 



I 

Raphoe 

— 

— 

— 

Clonfert 

— 

— 



Ferns 







Ossory 

— 

— 

— 

Downe 



— 



I 

Dromore 

— 

— 



Derry 

— 

— 



Cloyne 

— 





Killaloe 

— 

— 

— 

Barons 

Kinsale 





__ 

Blayney 

— 

— 

— 

Southwell  . 

— 

— 

Desart 



— 



Knapton     . 
Longford    . 

z 

~ 

— 

Lisle 

— 

— 

— 

Mountflorence    . 

— 





Baltinglass 

__ 

— 

I 

— 

Annaly 

— 

— 

— 

Erne 

— 

— 



Eyre. 

— 

— 

— 

Irnham 

— 

I 



Clermont   . 

— 

— 

— 

I 

Dartrey 

i 

— 

— 



Dawson 

i 

i 

— 

— 

Bangor 

I 

— 

— 

For  Government 
Against 
Doubtful     . 
Absent 


58 
9 
5 


Total 


86 


NOTE   ON   THE    SALARIES    ATTACHED    TO   CERTAIN 
REVENUE   OFFICES. 

From  Commons'  Journals,  xvi.  62  sqq.  &  xvii.  92. 

CUSTOMS. 
Seven  Commissioners  .....  ,£1,000  each 

The  Examinator  ......  400 

Surveyors  General         ....  300 

Collectors- 
Collector,  Dublin  Port  ....  200 

Cork 150 

Belfast 120 

Waterford      ....  90 

Small  ports   .         .         .         .  50 

Surveyors      .......  60-50 

Landwaiters,  generally .....  4°~35 

Coast  Officers      „         .  35 
Tidewaiters         „                                           .30 

Supernumerary  Tidewaiters,  generally  .         .  20 

Boatmen      .......  20 

Coxswain      .......  23 

EXCISE. 

Five  Chief  Commissioners    ....  ^,'1,000  each 
Four  Surveyors  General  .         .         .         500     „ 

These  offices  were  extinguished  when  the  Boards  of  Customs  and 
Excise,  divided  under  Lord  Townshend,  were  reunited  in  one  Revenue 
Board  under  Lord  Harcourt. 

Collectors  in  large  districts   .         .         .         .  £IOQ 

Collectors  in  small  districts  .         .         .         .  50 

Gaugers        .  4° 

Supernumerary  Gaugers        ....  30 

STAMP  DUTIES. 

Thirty  County  Distributors  were  allowed  6  per  cent,  on  the 
stamps  sold,  and  none  to  receive  less  than  ^50  per  annum. 


APPENDIX 

SYMPATHY  with  the  American  colonies  was  daily  gaining  strength 
among  the  Irish  Protestants,  and  Lord  Harcourt  considered  that  it 
would  be  advisable  to  make  no  delay  in  challenging  the  sentiments  of 
Parliament  as  to  the  revolt.  As  we  have  seen  in  the  Introduction  to 
this  volume,  it  was  a  critical  question :  it  involved  the  approval  of  the 
policy  of  the  Crown,  a  matter  to  which  the  British  Ministers  attached 
much  weight,  and  the  temper  in  which  the  Commons  would  receive  the 
King's  request  that  they  would  assent  to  the  withdrawal  of  4,000  troops 
from  the  number  of  those  appointed  to  remain  in  the  kingdom.  In 
order  to  bring  this  question  to  a  speedy  issue,  Harcourt  in  his  address 
at  the  opening  of  the  Session  on  October  10,  1775,  referred  to  'the 
rebellion  existing  in  a  part  of  the  King's  American  Dominions,'  and 
said  that  His  Majesty  relied  on  the  zeal  and  loyalty  of  his  Irish 
subjects.  The  address  in  reply  declared  that  the  Commons  viewed 
the  rebellion  with  abhorrence  and  indignation.  An  amendment 
expressing  a  desire  for  conciliation  was  negatived  by  90  to  49,  and 
another  being  moved  for  the  omission  of  the  words  expressing  anger 
at  the  revolt,  the  House  decided  by  90  to  50  to  retain  them,  and  the 
address  was  carried.1  Harcourt  was  delighted  with  this  success,  and 
the  next  day  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Lord  North  : — 

Lord  Harcourt  to  Lord  North? 

Oct.  n,  1775. 

You  must  not  be  surprised  to  be  troubled  with  this  letter  by 
a  Messenger  when  it  is  to  inform  you  that  last  night  at  1 1  o'clock 
the  House  of  Commons  agreed  to  a  Resolution,  on  a  division  of 
something  more  than  two  to  one,  declaring  their  allegiance  to  His 
Majesty  and  abhorrence  of  the  American  Rebellion.  Nor  must 
you  be  surprised  that  the  declaration  itself  brings  you  the  first 
account  of  my  having  engaged  in  this  serious  matter.  But  the 
truth  is,  that  the  Determination  upon  it  was  only  lately  had.  I 
saw  the  moment  approaching  when  this  unpleasant  question 
would  have  been  pressed  upon  me  by  the  Opposition  to  the 
King's  Government  in  this  country,  who  were  daily  gaining 
strength  upon  this  ground,  with  such  advantage  that  I  should 

1  Commons'  Journals >  xvii.  10-12.  ~  S.  P.  Ireland,  444,  f.  235. 


8o  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

have  had  great  difficulties  in  resisting  it.  Therefore  it  became 
absolutely  necessary  for  me,  and  for  the  honor  as  well  as  the 
support  of  the  King's  Government,  that  I  should  take  a  decisive 
part.  It  became  necessary,  as  well  in  point  of  humanity  as 
expediency,  that  we  should  declare  to  the  lower  order  of  the 
People  through  their  representatives  in  Parliament  the  just 
sense  that  was  entertained  of  this  unnatural  rebellion,  for  I  am 
confident,  and  of  nothing  more,  that  Silence  would  not  only 
have  been  criminal  in  me,  but  would  have  involved  in  it  con- 
sequences the  most  distressing,  if  not  fatal  to  the  peace  of  this 
Government,  and  must  have  added  a  fresh  weight  of  distress  to 
your  Lordship's  Administration  in  England,  that  great  as  the 
object  was,  I  would  not  hesitate  upon  it.  The  Presbyterians  in 
the  North,  who  in  their  hearts  are  Americans,  were  gaining 
strength  every  day,  and  letters  wrote  by  designing  men  whom 
I  could  name  from  your  side  of  the  water,  have  been  repeatedly 
pressed  of  late  to  engage  Ireland  to  take  an  adverse  part  in  the 
contest,  attaching  these  foolish  people  by  their  pride,  and  telling 
them  the  Ballance  of  the  cause  and  the  decision  of  the  quarrel 
was  on  their  side  of  St  George's  Channel.  I  have,  therefore,  for 
the  last  few  days  been  incessantly  employed,  and  in  order  to  give 
it  effect,  I  have  been  obliged  to  conduct  myself  with  all  possible 
secrecy,  not  daring  to  trust  too  much  to  certain  interested  Per- 
sons whom  it  is  not  necessary  for  me  at  this  time  to  name  to 
your  Lordship. 

The  debate  was  conducted  with  great  vehemence  on  the  part 
of  Opposition,  which  was  composed  of  Mr.  Ponsonby  and  the 
Duke  of  Leinster's  followers  and  a  few  county  members.  Our 
majority  consisted  of  the  most  respectable  people,  and  the  debate 
mostly  if  not  entirely  conducted  and  upheld  by  Sir  John  Blaquiere 
and  Mr  Scott,1  whose  zeal  and  abilities  are  so  well  known  to 
your  Lordship  that  I  shall  not  add  another  word. 

What  I  have  done  I  trust  may  be  agreeable  to  His  Majesty, 
and  I  should  hope  of  no  small  service  to  your  Lordship's 
Administration.  For  my  own  part  I  shall  confess  to  you  that  I 
feel  such  a  glow  of  mind  upon  this  occasion  and  the  victory 
which  has  been  obtained,  that  I  have  in  my  life  never  felt 
moments  so  happy  as  they  have  been  since  this  question  was 
determined.  Our  numbers  were  99  2  to  49  :  in  the  House  of  Lords 
31  to  5.  For  particulars  I  refer  your  Lordship  to  the  Minutes. 

The  next  day  Blaquiere  also  wrote  to  North  : — 

Sir  John  Blaquiere  to  Lord  North* 

Oct.  12,  1775. 

.  .  .  The  boast  and  false  confidence  of  Lord  Chatham  in 
your  House,  with  ablate  alliance  of  Lord  Cambden's  in  this 

1  Solicitor  General,  appointed  1774. 

2  Incorrect:  see  above  from  the  Common <=? Journals. 

3  S.  P.  Ireland,  444,  f.  237. 


APPENDIX  81 

country,  added  to  the  natural  fanaticism  of  the  Northern  Pro- 
vince, and  the  necessity  of  listing  in  the  South  many  who  are  not 
Presbyterians,  with  other  circumstances  of  material  considera- 
tion, and  which  were,  I  believe,  repeated  to  you  yesterday  by 
my  Lord  Harcourt,  made  it  absolutely  necessary  for  His 
Excellency  to  call  forth  an  explicit  and  timely  declaration  from 
the  Irish  Parliament  on  the  subject  of  America. 

Harcourt  and  Blaquiere  had  good  reason  for  satisfaction  ;  the 
address  proved  the  signal  success  of  their  efforts  to  secure  such  a 
majority  in  Parliament  as  would  enable  them  to  gain  its  support  for 
the  Crown  even  on  the  most  critical  occasions.  The  decision  of 
Parliament  declared  the  triumph  of  the  system  of  direct  control  by 
the  Crown,  which  had  been  established  in  place  of  government  by 
undertakers.  Ireland,  in  spite  of  the  sentiments  of  a  large  number 
of  its  people,  of  by  far  the  larger  number  of  its  Protestant  in- 
habitants, was  committed  to  an  approval  of  the  war  by  the  votes 
of  those  who  were  by  a  fiction  denominated  the  representatives  of 
the  nation. 

The  question  of  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  was  laid  before  the 
Commons  on  November  23,  when  Blaquiere  brought  a  message  to  the 
House  which  was  read  by  the  Speaker,  It  announced  that  the  King 
desired  to  withdraw  4,000  men  from  the  troops  appointed  to  remain 
in  the  kingdom  ;  that  the  expense  of  such  part  of  the  army  as  should 
be  spared  would  not  be  charged  on  the  Irish  establishment,  and 
that  the  King  offered  to  replace  such  force  by  an  equal  number  of 
foreign  Protestant  soldiers,  the  charge  of  them  to  be  defrayed  without 
any  expense  to  Ireland.  On  the  25th  the  message  was  considered 
in  a  committee  of  the  whole  House,  after  the  names  of  the  members 
had  been  called  over  in  accordance  with  a  previous  order  The 
debate,  which  lasted  until  midnight,  was  warm,  specially  on  the  offer  of 
foreign  troops,  and  the  Opposition  did  not  forget  to  taunt  the  Govern- 
ment with  the  fact  that  the  stipulated  number  of  12,000  men  had 
already  been  infringed  upon.  The  speakers  on  the  Opposition  side  were, 
Harcourt  reported  to  North,  Ponsonby,  Fitzgibbon,  Sir  E.  Newenham, 
Gardiner,  Ogle,  Sir  James  Cotter,  Yelverton  (very  violent),  Chapman, 
Conolly  and  Hussey  Burgh  ;  and  for  the  Government,  Hellen,  Sir  J. 
Blaquiere,  Carleton,  W.  Flood,  Jephson,  Langrishe,  Barry  Barry, 
Mason,  Trench,  Prime  Serjeant  Dennis,  Foster,  the  Solicitor-General 
[John  Scott],  Serjeant  Coppinger,  and  Sir  J.  Blaquiere  a  second  time 
in  answer  to  Hussey  Burgh,  who  finally  closed  the  debate.1  The 
Government  majority  for  sparing  the  4,000  men  was  121  against  76, 

1  Harcourt  to  North,  Nov.  26,  1775. 


82  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

but  on  the  2yth  the  committee  decided  against  accepting  the  offer 
of  foreign  troops  by  106  to  68.  The  next  day  upon  the  report,  the 
House  agreed  with  the  opinion  of  the  committee  on  both  resolutions 
after  a  division  of  103  to  58.1 

The  meaning  of  these  divisions  is,  that  Blaquiere  had  found 
before  the  2yth  that  the  offer  of  foreign  troops  was  extremely  dis- 
tasteful to  the  Irish  Parliament,  and  rather  than  press  it,  Harcourt 
and  he  agreed  that  they  would  act  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as 
they  had  done  in  the  case  of  the  Absentee  Tax,  and  that  the 
Government  should  'take  a  neutral  part  in  the  debate.'  They 
rightly  judged  that  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  was  the  more  im- 
portant question,  and  they  determined  to  make  the  best  of  their 
success  in  that  matter  in  their  letters  to  England.  Blaquiere,  in  his 
short  letter  to  North  on  the  night  of  the  27th,  wrote  as  if  all  had  gone 
most  satisfactorily,  and  wished  him  'joy  of  the  event.'  Upon  the 
report  the  next  day,  '  when  both  subjects  were  debated,'  Blaquiere 
and  Harcourt  being  convinced  that  if  a  proposal  were  made  by 
Government  for  the  introduction  of  the  foreign  soldiers,  the  whole 
scheme,  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops  as  well  as  the  offered  replace- 
ment of  them,  would  be  wrecked,  the  Government,  as  Harcourt 
wrote  on  the  3oth,  '  acting  under  the  direction  of  the  sense  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  boldly  and  avowedly  took  its  part  in  giving 
4,000  of  our  troops  and  refusing  to  have  them  replaced.'  2  The 
royal  offer  to  keep  4,000  foreign  soldiers  in  Ireland  without  expense 
to  that  country  involved  a  constitutional  question  as  to  the  right  of 
the  Crown  to  pledge  the  public  money  of  Great  Britain.  It  was 
raised  in  the  British  House  of  Commons  on  February  17,  1776,  by 
Thomas  Townshend,  afterwards  Lord  Sydney,  who  declared  that 
Harcourt  had  been  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  privileges  of  that  House, 
but  after  a  warm  debate  his  motion  for  a  committee  was  negatived 
by  224  to  io6.3 

The  King  was  extremely  annoyed  by  the  refusal  of  his  offer,  and 
unreasonably,  as  it  appears,  attributed  his  disappointment  to  bad 
management  on  the  part  of  Harcourt  and  Blaquiere.4  The  decision 

1  Blaquiere    to  North,  'from  the   House,'  Nov.    27;    Harcourt   to   North, 
Nov.   30,    1775,  Commons'  Journals,  xvii.  205—9.     Misled  apparently  by  the 
highly  concise  account  of  these  proceedings  given  by  Plowden  (Historical  Review, 
i.  433),  Lecky  has  for  once  given  a  wrong  impression  of  them  (History,  iv.  438), 
the  division  on  the  report  was  not  a  defeat  for  the  Irish  Government,  though  it 
was  for  the  King. 

2  Letters  of  Blaquiere  and  Harcourt,  cited  above. 

3  Parliamentary  History,  xviii.  1129. 

4  Correspondence  of  George  II I.  with  Lord  North,  i.  300-301. 


APPENDIX  83 

of  the  Irish  House  of  Commons  was  wise.  No  one  could  foresee 
that  the  King's  offer  would  be  criticised  hostilely  in  England,  and 
had  it  been  accepted  by  the  Irish  it  would,  but  for  that,  doubtless 
have  been  repeated,  and  a  dangerous  precedent  would  have  been 
created.  George  would,  of  course,  have  preferred  to  have  his 
battles  fought  by  British  and  Irish  troops  rather  than  by  Germans. 
Besides,  if  Ireland  had  been  willing  to  receive  the  soldiers  hired 
from  the  German  princes,  the  English  Ministers  would  have  had  an 
additional  defence  against  their  Whig  opponents,  who  made  the 
employment  of  these  troops  a  ground  of  attack  on  the  Government. 
But  the  Irish  Parliament  did  not  choose  to  have  the  defence  of  their 
country  committed  to  foreigners,  nor  to  see  them  encamped  on  Irish 
soil.  The  spirit  exhibited  by  the  Commons  on  this  question  showed 
that  patriotic  sentiment  was  not  wholly  extinguished  by  the  seduc- 
tions of  the  Castle. 

Successful  as  for  a  time  a  system  of  government  by  corruption 
may  prove  to  be,  it  has  a  fatal  defect  in  that,  unless  rewards  are 
continually  increased,  it  is  impossible  to  reckon  on  the  continuance 
of  a  purchased  majority.  This  was  specially  true  of  the  influence 
exercised  by  Harcourt  and  Blaquiere  over  the  Irish  Parliament. 
Their  position  was  different  from  that  of  the  undertakers,  for  the 
corruption  of  the  undertakers'  days  was,  as  the  writer  in  Baratariana 
remarks,  '  domestic ' ;  the  ruling  oligarchs  and  their  followers  under- 
stood one  another,  and  the  undertakers  would  thwart  the  wishes 
of  the  Crown  when  in  any  serious  matter  they  ran  counter  to  the 
'  Irish  interest,'  while  under  the  new  system  administered  by  Harcourt 
and  Blaquiere,  the  favours  received  from  the  Crown  were  given  to 
secure  the  support  of  Parliament  to  a  policy  which,  taken  as  a  whole, 
was  alien,  if  not  adverse,  to  Irish  aspirations. 

The  sentiment  which  underlay  the  decision  of  the  Commons  was 
apparent  in  the  concluding  words  of  the  address ;  they  trusted  that 
the  people  of  Ireland  might  so  exert  themselves  as  to  make  the  aid 
which  the  King  offered  unnecessary.  This  pointed  to  a  renewal  of 
the  attempt  to  obtain  a  Bill  for  a  national  militia,  which  had 
hitherto  been  thwarted  by  the  Privy  Council.  Harcourt  was  in 
favour  of  it,  and  heads  of  a  Bill  were  transmitted  to  England,  but  were 
not  returned.  Another  attempt  was  made  to  secure  the  independence 
of  the  judges,  and  that  suffered  a  like  fate.  The  refusal  to  accept 
the  foreign  troops  was,  indeed,  a  sign  that  the  national  spirit  was 
gaining  an  influence  over  the  Government  phalanx;  some  were 
impatient  of  the  control  to  which  they  had  submitted  themselves, 
while  others  were  merely  anxious  to  obtain  larger  terms  by  a  show  of 
independence.  An  opportunity  for  opposition  was  afforded  by  the 

G  3 


84  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

British  Privy  Council,  which  returned  two  money  Bills  with  altera- 
tions. They  were  promptly  rejected,  though  new  Bills  to  the  same 
purpose  were  brought  in  and  passed.1 

It  is  not  likely  that  this  recrudescence  of  national  sentiment, 
feigned  though  in  some  cases  it  certainly  was,  would  first  be 
revealed  to  so  watchful  a  Minister  as  Blaquiere,  who  mixed  freely  in 
Irish  society,  by  the  debates  on  the  Lord-Lieutenant's  message.  By 
the  beginning  of  November  he  considered  that  fresh  favours  must 
be  conferred  on  members  of  the  House  of  Commons  if  the  business 
of  the  session  was  to  be  carried  through  satisfactorily.  Ten  were, 
he  thought,  *  wavering  in  their  faith,'  and  he  had  promptly  taken  the 
best  and  usual  means  of  confirming  them  in  it.  The  result  of  the 
impending  general  election  was  a  more  important  matter.  Expec- 
tations raised  by  Townshend,  and  not  yet  fulfilled,  must  no  longer 
be  disappointed  ;  past  services  must  be  rewarded,  and  faithful 
supporters  must  be  induced  by  fresh  pensions  to  incur  the  expense 
of  purchasing  seats  in  the  new  Parliament.  Money  must  be  found 
by  some  means,  and  the  King  and  the  British  Ministers  must  be 
convinced  that  the  matter  was  urgent,  and  must  state  clearly  how  far 
they  would  go.  Accordingly  on  November  2  Blaquiere  wrote  as 
follows  : — 

Sir  John  Blaquiere  to  Mr.  Robinson,  Secretary  to  the  Treasury? 

November  2,  1775. 

Since  my  return  hither  my  Lord-Lieutenant's  attention,  as 
far  as  other  measures  would  allow,  has  been  particularly  directed 
to  the  consideration  of  the  coming  dissolution  and  its  more 
important  consequence,  the  re-election  of  a  new  Parliament,  to 
which  if  the  greatest  care  and  attention  be  not  had,  we  may 
peradventure  lose  thereby  thirty  or  forty  of  our  best  Friends,  as 
I  very  particularly  stated  both  to  yourself  and  Lord  North 
when  I  was  in  London.  The  means  to  remedy  the  evil  are 
but  few,  and  after  the  conversations  we  have  had  upon  this 
score,  in  which  there  appeared  almost  an  impossibility  of 
affording  us  any  assistance  from  England,  I  shall  suppose  but 
one  :  you  must  by  pension  or  place  sink  a  sum  of  not  less  than 
about  ^9,000  per  annum,  exclusive  of  the  provision  that  may 
be  found  requisite  for  rewarding  and  indemnifying  those  who 
are  immediately  connected  by  office  with  His  Excellency's 
administration  or  attending  on  his  person.  The  former  is  a 

1  Plowden,    Historical  Review,   i.    434  ;     Commons'  Journals,   xvii.    220, 
250-251,  295. 

2  S.P.  Ireland,  444,  f.  252. 


APPENDIX  85 

matter  of  necessity,  the  latter  of  justice,  both  equally  claiming 
the  attention  of  the  Crown. 

There  are  not  less  than  thirty  or  forty  members  that,  if  not 
assisted,  certainly  cannot  secure  their  re-election.  Many  of 
these  gentlemen  hold  small  employments  or  pensions  from  two 
to  three,  some  under  ^200  a  year.  Their  seats  in  the  new 
Parliament  cannot  be  purchased  at  less  than  2,000  guineas  to 
^"2,500.  Their  past  services  certainly  entitle  them  to  the 
possession  of  what  they  now  hold ;  and  an  addition  by  pension 
or  Sallary  of  from  ^£200  to  ^250,  or  more,  as  circumstances  may 
require,  must  surely  be  considered  as  scarcely  an  adequate 
compensation  for  the  advance  and  loss  of  so  large  a  sum  as 
2,000  guineas.  There  are  besides  several  gentlemen  who, 
holding  not  a  shilling  under  the  Crown,  have  assisted  and  are 
now  engaged  to  support  the  measures  of  Government  upon 
expectation  given  them  of  a  suitable  provision  at  the  end  of 
this  session,  and  for  which  the  Faith  of  Government  was 
pledged  during  my  Lord  Townshend's  Administration,  many  of 
whom  he  recommended  for  specific  stations  or  pensions,  as 
your  Lists  will  inform  you  ;  and  among  the  number  of  gentlemen 
to  be  added  to  those  1  include  the  Earl  of  Belvidere,  who 
returns  four  members,  and  the  Earl  of  Bellamont,  whose 
services  have  been  marked,  zealous,  and  effectual.  To  furnish 
you  with  a  list  of  names  at  the  present  moment  could  give  you 
neither  satisfaction  nor  information.  Let  it  suffice  that  for  the 
carrying  on  the  publick  Business  in  the  next  Parliament,  together 
with  having  a  prospect  of  perfecting  our  Business  in  this,  a 
charge  not  less  than  I  have  stated  is  indispensable.  In  truth 
the  transactions  of  this  session  are  so  much  involved  in  the 
consideration  of  having  a  respectable  body  of  Friends  in  the  new 
Parliament  that  it  is  impossible  to  separate  them.  I  have  been 
already  obliged  with  my  Lord- Lieu  tenant's  leave  to  promise 
small  additional  Sallaries  or  pensions  to  Messrs.  Blakeney, 
Fitzgerald,  Tighe,  Sandford,  Pennefather,  O'Brien,  Coghlan, 
Malone,  Cane,  and  Featherstone,  gentlemen  most  of  whom  we 
had  reason  to  think  were  wavering  in  their  Faith,  and  who 
would  probably  have  gone  against  us  or  staid  away  this  session. 
There  are  others  many  in  the  same  way ;  but  that  we  may  not 
hold  out  unauthorised  expectations  which  may  involve  many  of 
our  best  friends  as  well  as  ourselves  in  inextricable  difficulties, 
I  am,  by  Lord  Harcourt's  desire,  to  request  that  you  will  take 
the  earliest  convenient  moment  to  state  this  matter  to  my  Lord 
North,  that  we  may  know  and  be  fully  warranted  in  our  engage- 
ments. 

This  letter  was  laid  before  the  King,  to  whom  indeed  his 
Ministers  referred  all  matters  at  this  time ;  for  though  his  kingdoms 
were  nominally  ruled  by  responsible  Ministers,  they  were  during 
North's  Administration  practically  under  his  personal  rule.  He  saw 


86  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

the  letter  along  with  another  from  Blaquiere  referring  to  the  offer  of 
the  foreign  troops ;  both  displeased  him,  and  on  November  26  he 
wrote  to  North  complaining  that  Blaquiere's  letters  were  '  drawn  up 
in  a  strange  and  loose  manner,'  that  they  were  vague,  and  that  '  he 
must  specify  very  exactly  on  paper  the  whole  of  his  demands  before 
any  encouragement  can  be  given.' ]  Robinson  accordingly  wrote  to 
Blaquiere  for  precise  information  as  to  the  money  that  he  would 
want  for  the  Irish  members.  Blaquiere  sent  the  following  reply  : — 

Sir  John  Blaquiere  to  Mr.  Robinson.     Private  and  Confidential? 

Dec.  15,  1775- 

In  order  to  save  you  any  unnecessary  trouble  upon  the 
subject  of  the  arrangements  necessary  to  make  at  this  critical 
time  in  Ireland,  I  beg  the  favour  of  you  to  consider  this  Letter 
as  a  continuation  of  mine  of  the  26.  of  November  to  which  I 
refer. 

The  particulars  you  desire  shall  be  stated  in  a  manner  as 
minute  and  critical  as  the  nature  of  the  thing  will  admit,  in 
order  to  which  I  shall  place  them  under  three  separate  heads, 
tho'  the  services  done  to  the  King's  Government  in  my  Lord 
Townshend's  time,  those  which  have  been  rendered  in  the  two 
last  sessions,  and  the  expectation  of  securing  to  the  Crown  a 
respectable  Majority  in  the  new  Parliament  are  so  closely  inter- 
woven that  it  is  scarce  possible  to  consider  them  asunder.  .  .  . 
Of  these  remaining  unprovided  for  are  the  following  Persons 
who  have  every  one  of  them  earned  by  additional  service  and  zeal 
in  support  of  Government  a  better  claim  to  His  Majesty's  good- 
ness. My  Lord  Townshend  stated  their  merits,  which  it  would 
be  needless  for  me  to  repeat,  and  recommend  them  for  the 
following  annual  provision  by  way  of  pension  or  otherwise ; 
and  these  I  shall  consider  under  my  first  Head — 

^500    The  Earl  of  Howth 

300    Mr.  Robert  Fitzgerald 

200    Col.  Sandford 

200    Mr.  Robert  Tighe 

200  Col.  Smith  for  his  sisters  ;£ioo  each,  and  although 
this  gentleman's  services  cannot  be  stated  with 
parliamentary  ones,  he  comes  necessarily  included 
in  Lord  Townshend's  arrangements,  by  whom  he 
was  recommended,  and  my  Lord  Harcourt  has 
directed  me  to  call  to  my  Lord  North's  mind  the 
services  of  his  family,  his  own  in  Portugal,  and  to 
state  the  particular  zeal  and  alacrity  He  has  shown 
on  many  occasions  where  he  has  been  employed  in 
this  country  at  my  Lord  Harcourt's  particular  desire. 

1  Correspondence  of  George  111.  with  Lord  North ,  i.  300. 
*  S.  P.  Ireland,  444,  f.  292. 


APPENDIX  87 

Under  the  Second  head  I  shall  include  Persons  for  services 
already  performed  in  Parliament  either  by  themselves  or  their 
Friends,  and  for  which  Stipulations  have  been  made  or  expecta- 
tions held  out  of  annual  provision  to  the  following  amount 
£200    Capt.  Bristow — this  is  a  gentleman  for  whom  my  Lord 
Conyngham  stipulated  so  long  as  three  years  ago 
when  He  first  joined  Government  with  his  Parlia- 
mentary Interest,  that  he  should  at  the  first  conve- 
nient opportunity  have — 

150  Mr.  Edge  worth  at  the  desire  of  the  Earl  of  Kingston 
has  long  had  expectation  given  him  of  ^150. 

700  The  Earl  of  Bellamont's  zeal  for  H.M.'s  Government, 
&  the  very  able  &  effectual  support  which  He 
has  given  in  the  House  of  Lords  these  two  last 
sessions,  &  the  peculiar  merit  he  had  of  joining 
the  Government  at  a  moment  when  his  services 
were  most  critically  wanted  induces  my  Lord  Har- 
court  to  recommend  him  to  H.M.  for  ^£700. 

200  Mr.  Malone.  The  honor  &  effect  which  the  King's 
Government  derives  from  the  disinterested  support 
&  great  abilities  of  this  gentleman  will,  it  is 
thought,  make  it  unnecessary  to  say  a  word  but 
that  he  wants  for  his  nephew  ^£200. 

800  Mr.  Serjt.  Hamilton  quitted  the  Opposition  at  a 
critical  moment  upon  the  promise  of  being  recom- 
mended to  the  Bench  when  a  proper  opportunity 
offered.  The  conduct  of  Judge  Robinson  affords 
that  opportunity.1  My  Lord  Harcourt  wishes  never- 
theless that  Mr.  Robinson's  former  conduct  should 
be  considered.  He  is  besides  old  &  infirm.  His 
Excellency  means  to  recommend  him  for  the  usual 
Judge's  pension  of  ^"800. 

200  My  Lord  Westmeath's  brother  has  already  a  small 
Pension ;  my  Lord  Harcourt  means  to  recommend 
an  additional  £200. 

150  Col.  Luttrell's  friend  whom  my  Lord  North  recom- 
mended is  as  yet  unprovided  for,  no  sinecure 
employment  having  fallen  in. 

150  Ld.  Chief  Justice  Patterson,  one  of  the  honestest  & 
ablest  servants  the  King  has  &  who  has  been 
serviceable  to  my  Lord  Harcourt's  administration, 
desires  a  pension  for  his  near  relation.  H.  E.  means 

to  recommend. 

^2,550 

Under  the  3rd  &  last  Head  are  to  be  reckoned  Persons 
for  services  already  performed  blended  with  their  engaging  to 
return  themselves  Members  in  the  next  Parliament. 

See  p.  47,  note. 


88  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,   1775 

;£6oo    Mr.  Warden  Flood,  of  whom  I  believe  you  have  heard 
enough  said  :    for  particulars  &  in  order  to  avoid 
writing  volumes  let  me  refer  you  to  Mr.  Lees. 
400    Counsellor  Carleton,  of  whom  I  suppose  it  also  un- 
necessary to  say  a  word. 

300    Mr.  Westenrau,  member  for  Monaghan. 

250  Sir  Wm.  Montgomery,  in  order  to  give  him  the  agency 
of  the  half-pay,  a  measure  exceedingly  desirable  for 
the  care  &  advantage  of  half-pay  officers,  as  well 
as  in  consideration  of  his  repurchasing  himself  into 
Parliament ;  the  pension  to  be  given  to  Mr.  Bulkley, 
the  present  agent. 

300  Mr.  O'Brien,1  brother  to  Sir  Lucius,  both  he  &  Sir 
Lucius  in  Parliament. 

400   Mr.  Coghlan,1  a  faithful  friend,  is  to  repurchase. 

300  Col.  Cane  1  comes  in  again  for  Tallagh,  &  at  some 
expense,  a  constant  attender  &  an  honourable 
Friend. 

200  Mr.  Cavendish  is  to  repurchase.  His  Collection  of 
Dundalk  is  worth  only  ^150;  somehow  or  other 
must  be  added. 

300  Mr.  Tunnadine  purchases  for  the  third  time ;  has  no 
office  yet,  a  constant  attender. 

650  It  was  thought  my  Lord  Belvidere  must  have  had  a 
seat  at  the  Revenue  Board.  He  will  be  a  powerful 
Man  &  a  warm  Friend  at  the  next,  as  he  has  been 
in  this  Parliament;  but  its  hoped  as  his  brothers 
have  asked  for  provisions,  he  may  be  passed  by  & 
they  will  be  satisfied  with  ,£650. 

300  Mr.  Waller,2  one  of  the  dismissd  Commissioners,  to 
repurchase. 

200  Mr.  Fetherstone,2  one  of  the  dismissd  Surveyors 
General,  to  repurchase. 

200    Mr.  Maurice  Fitzgerald,2  the  same. 

200  Mr.  Nisbet  repurchases  upon  an  addition  to  his  Father's 
pension,  which  is  ^300,  of  £200. 

500  Mr.  Hutchinson,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Provost.  The 
Father  certainly  brings  him,  with  another  friend  into 
Parlt,  for  whom  he  purchases. 

250  Mr.  Blakeney  has  a  pension  of  ^300.  He  is  offered 
for  his  Seat  ^2600;  there  are  two  Brothers  in 
Parlt,  an  addition  of — 

300  Mr.  Pennefather  has  had  the  same  offer.  He  &  his 
Father  are  in  Parlt.  They  have  no  office. 

1  For  O'Brien,  Coghlan  and  Cane  see  p.  85  :  they  now  appear  as  confirmed 
in  their  Faith. 

-  In  Townshend's  excise  board  the  five  chief  commissioners  received  £1,000 
a  year  each,  the  four  surveyors  general  £500.  When  the  revenue  boards  were 
reunited  the  commissioners  of  excise  received  pensions  of  ^600,  the  surveyors 
general  of  ^300. — Commons' Journals,  xvi.  80,  344-45. 


APPENDIX  89 

400    Col.   Ross,  a  warm  &  devoted  friend,  brings  himself 

&  assists  Government  in  bringing  in  another. 
200    Mr.  Cuffe  to  be  re-elected  for  the  County  of  Mayo,  an 

additional  Sallary.     He  is  of  the  Barrack  Board. 
200    Lord  Carrick,  a  warm  supporter,  has  one  now,  &  will 

have  two  Members  in  the  next  Parlt,  asks  for  a 

pension  for  an  old  gentleman  of  76. 
150     Mr.  Caulfield,  member  for  Tulsk,  additional  to  a  small 

office  he  has  of  — 
200    Mr.    Swan,  a    claim  upon    Govt.  for  a  constant    ex- 

ertion in  the  House  of  Commons  of  some  of  the 

most  painful  &  perilous  service   that   can   be   per- 

formed. 
200    Mr.  Mowtray,  a  very  good  friend,  a  pension  for  his 

Brjother]. 

,°°° 

ist  Head  .  ^"1,4.00 

2nd  Head  .         .  2,550 

3rd  Head  .         .  7,000 

10,950 
Add  Lord  Annaly  .  300 


This,  my  dear  Sir,  is  a  considerable  sum,  but  compared  to 
former  charges  it  is  trifling,  &  compared  with  the  present 
emergencies  of  things,  the  Service  rendered  &  the  importance 
of  the  Novel  but  necessary  idea  of  securing  to  the  King's 
Government  a  proper  Majority  in  the  new  Parliament.  It  will 
under  the  several  considerations  bear  the  strictest  Scrutiny, 
insomuch  that  I  will  take  upon  me  to  say,  &  I  do  it  by  my 
Lord  Harcourt's  special  commands,  that  if  Three  Hundred 
Pounds  are  struck  off,  the  Government  will  be  very  considerably 
prejudiced.  There  is  to  be  added  to  these,  several  little  objects 
of  Charity,  specially  Officers'  Widows,  which  have  been  recom- 
mended to  my  Lord  Harcourt,  &  which  together  may  amount 
to  perhaps  between  two  &  ^300,  which  I  suppose  it  can  be 
scarce  necessary  to  specify. 

These  things  done  you  will  have  most  unquestionably  in  the 
new  Parliament  a  most  respectable  Majority.  To  say  presently 
what  will  be  the  numerical  account  of  your  Strength,  it  depends 
upon  so  many  contingencies,  that  I  believe  it  next  to  impossible, 
but  upon  a  presumption  that  all  things  may  go  according  to 
moral  probability,  you  have  a  right  to  expect  the  number  will 
then  stand,  taking  your  present  attach'd  &  steady  friends,  & 
all  those  who  will  be  brought  in  by  their  assistance,  &  the 
various  influences  which  Government  can  in  every  possibility 
exert,  in  which  I  include  the  assistance  which  the  expected 
moves  &  creations  in  the  Peerage  will  procure;  They  will, 


90  THE    IRISH    PARLIAMENT,  1775 

taken  together,  give  you  a  predominant  power  in  the  proportion 
of  138  to  91.  And  here  allow  me  to  observe  that  138  plumping 
Votes  of  unequivocal  men  is  in  my  opinion  as  great  a  power  as 
Government  can  now  command  in  this  Parliament. 

P.S. — My  Lord  has  just  sent  me  word  that,  whilst  I  was  in 
England,  He  had  given  Lord  Annaly  an  expectation  of  a 
Pension  of  ^300  a  year  for  his  Brother,  which  He  did  not 
recollect  before,  &  must  now  be  added  to  the  general  sum. 

The  anticipated  creations  in  the  peerage,  it  will  be  observed, 
were  not  made  in  order  to  overcome  a  majority  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  but  to  secure  a  majority  in  the  Commons  by  gratifying  certain 
powerful  persons  or  faithful  supporters.  There  is,  therefore,  no  real 
analogy  between  them  and  the  creation  of  the  twelve  peers  in  Queen 
Anne's  reign.1  Following  Plowden,  Lecky  says  that  besides  twelve 
promotions  in  the  peerage,  eighteen  Irish  peers  were  *  created  in  a 
single  day.'  This  number,  however,  can  only  be  made  up  by 
including  the  creation,  in  April  1776,  of  William  Henry  Lyttelton, 
later  Baron  Lyttelton  in  the  British  peerage,  and  then  member  for 
Bewdley,  as  Baron  Westcote  in  the  peerage  of  Ireland.  But  this 
creation  had  nothing  in  common  with  the  rest.  The  other  seventeen 
whose  elevation  was  announced  on  July  2  of  that  year  were  Sir 
Thomas  Maude,  created  Baron  de  Montalt ;  Sir  George  Macartney, 
B.  Macartney ;  Sir  Archibald  Acheson,  B.  Gosford ;  Ralph  Howard, 
B.  Clonmore ;  Sir  Richard  Philips,  B.  Milford  ;  Sir  Thomas  Wynn, 
B.  Newborough ;  Sir  Charles  Bingham,  B.  Lucan ;  Sir  Alexander 
Macdonald,  who  had  no  connection  with  Ireland,  B.  Macdonald  ; 
Sir  William  Mayne,  B.  Newhaven  ;  James  Agar,  B.  Clifden ;  William 
Edwardes,  B.  Kensington ;  Robert  Ongley,  B.  Ongley  ;  Vice- Admiral 
Molyneux  Shouldham,  B.  Shouldham;  John  Bourke,  B.  Naas; 
Sentleger  Sentleger,  or  St.  Leger,  B.  Doneraile ;  Clotworthy  Upton, 
B.  Templetown  ;  and  Hugh  Massey,  B.  Massey.  This  wholesale 
creation  stands  in  strong  contrast  to  the  instruction  with  reference  to 
the  peerage  given  to  Harcourt  on  taking  office  which  is  recorded  in 
the  Introduction.  Members  of  the  House  of  Commons  were  not 
promoted  to  the  peerage  until  arrangements  had  been  made  that 
their  seats  should  be  filled  by  supporters  of  Government. 

Blaquiere's  letter  suggests  many  comments,  but  it  must  suffice 
here  to  refer  the  reader  to  the  provision  already  made  for  Hely 
Hutchinson,  which  is  noticed  in  the  Introduction  ;  to  observe  how 
much  better  it  was  to  be  the  brother  of  an  Irish  peer,  than  the 

1  Plowden  (Historical  Review,  i.  443)  and  Lecky  (History,  iv.  441),  are  some- 
what misleading,  though  Lecky's  remark  is  verbally  correct. 


APPENDIX  91 

widow  of  an  officer,  one  of  those  { little  objects,'  for  whom,  taken  in 
a  lump,  scarce  so  much  was  to  be  asked  of  H.M.'s  goodness  as 
Annaly  got  for  his  brother  Henry  Gore,  and  to  admire  the  pious 
care  which  these  lords  and  gentlemen  showed  in  seeking  to  provide 
for  their  relations  and  friends  out  of  the  public  money.  They  were 
imitated,  or  surpassed,  by  an  English  earl,  whose  name  we  have  met 
with  more  than  once.  The  proof  of  his  care  for  an  old  servant  con- 
cerns Ireland,  and  is  too  pleasing  an  incident  to  be  omitted.  The 
Earl  of  Rochford,  descended  from  one  of  the  Dutch  friends  of 
William  III.,  who  sometime  enjoyed  an  Irish  pension  of  ,£2,000, 
resigned  the  Secretaryship  of  State  in  November  1775,  an(*  received 
a  pension  of  ,£2,500,  afterwards  increased  to  ,£3,320.  He  had 
landed  property  worth  ^2,000  a  year,  which  he  bequeathed  to  his 
mistress.  At  the  date  of  his  resignation  his  butler  had  become 
too  old  for  further  work,  and  on  the  xoth  he  wrote  to  Harcourt 
asking  him  '  for  a  little  sinecure  place  of  about  £"50  or  £"60  a  year 
for  an  old  servant  that  has  lived  with  me  these  thirty  years.  I  have 
now  no  way  of  providing  for  him  but  by  keeping  him  myself,  which 
will  be  a  great  charge  to  me.'  His  anxiety  led  him  to  write  again 
the  next  day,  and  this  time  to  Blaquiere,  to  urge  his  request.  *  It  is 
for  our  old  friend  Strasburgh,  my  butler,  who  has  poured  you  out 
many  a  glass  of  good  Burgundy,  and  who  will  be  a  burden  to  me  if 
I  am  not  relieved  from  it.'  So  poor  old  Strasburgh  was  to  be  a 
burden  on  Ireland. 

The  first  octennial  Parliament  was  prorogued  on  April  4,  1776, 
and  was  dissolved  later.  Harcourt  resigned  office  in  November  of 
that  year,  and  did  not  meet  the  new  Parliament,  which  assembled  in 
1776  only  for  the  election  of  a  speaker,  and  did  not  meet  again 
till  October  1777. 


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Spottiswoode  &"  Co.  Ltd.,  Printers,  New-street  Square,  London.